Official explains new policy on usage of Emirati dialect, dress

A top UAE official has explained the reasoning behind the new policy that allows only UAE citizens to speak in the Emirati dialect on media channels, stating that “the Emirati citizen is best able to understand the true value of the national dialect and dress, as they are a symbol of national identity and an embodiment of the country’s cultural and historical heritage”.

- Waad Barakat

The policy was discussed on Wednesday at the Federal National Council (FNC) session. Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, Chairman of the National Media Office, emphasised the importance of this regulation in a statement through X: “The policy was implemented in response to increasing instances of misrepresentation of the Emirati dialect and cultural symbols, particularly in advertising.”

Al Hamed reiterated the significance of preserving the Emirati dialect, describing it as “a rich vessel of vocabulary and meanings that store within its letters the memory of a nation”.