Dubai to grant Golden Visas to long-serving Muslim clerics ahead of Eid al-Fitr
Imams, preachers, muftis and religious scholars who have served in Dubai for more than 20 years will be granted golden visas as part of a gesture of appreciation from Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Religious figures in Dubai will also receive a financial reward on Eid al-Fitr as part of an annual tradition.
The five-to-10-year Golden Visa is a long-term UAE residency permit that allows foreign nationals to live, work, or study in the country. This visa category provides a host of benefits, such as sponsoring family members, including spouses and children, regardless of their age, sponsoring an unlimited number of domestic helps, the flexibility to stay outside the UAE for more than the usually-stipulated six-month period, and much more.
Last month, Sheikh Hamdan had ordered a hike in the salaries of imams and muezzins in Dubai, applicable to all those serving in mosques operated under Dubai’s Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department.
Imams are religious figures who preach both Muslims and non-Muslims about the principles of Islam, whereas muezzins are responsible for proclaiming the Islamic call to prayer – also known as adhaan – five times during a day.
