아프리카ㆍ중동

It seems that United Arab Emirates seeks for westernization and modernization on the surface. However, it is easily found that the country relies on traditional tribalism and Islam in a great deal. The purpose of this article, as the second part of the project that explores 'the relationship between power elites and tribalism in the Middle East', is to examine the relationship between religious elites and tribalism in the UAE. In order to meet the purpose of the study, this article explores the following points. First, it investigates the current religious distribution in the UAE and analyses the current situation and its characteristics. Second, it explores religious elite groups and its members as well as their social roles in the UAE. Third, it distinguishes the characteristics of the religious elites in the UAE after examining the relationship between religious elites and their affiliations with a specific tribe or their relationship with traditional tribalism. The results of the study are as follow. The religious elites in the UAE is not originated from a specific tribes or family. However, it is obvious that each tribe has a link with a specific religious sect and these includes Sunni, Shia, other minor Islamic sect, Christianity, and Orthodox Christianity. It is also found that religious elites in the UAE is politically, economically as well as legally subordinate to the political elites. The position of religious elites has been limited, especially after the emergence of economic elites in the UAE as a result of influx of oil money and open-door policy of the country. The religious elites is less influential in the UAE, comparing to other political, economic, and military elites. In the end, religious elites in the UAE is passive to educate and guide moral as well as religious codes to their people.