Home lists Top 100 most powerful Arabs 2021 Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah Chairman, UAE Fatwa Council Origin: Mauritania Residence: UAE Sector: Culture and Society In December, the UAE Fatwa Council issued a significant ruling permitting the use of Covid-19 vaccines even if they contained “non-halal ingredients”. Leading by example, the 86-year-old Sheikh Abdullah chose to receive the jab in January. In February, when the UN observed its first ‘International Day of Human Fraternity’, Sheikh Abdullah, who is also president of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Communities, highlighted that the UAE had embarked on that path two years ago with the visit of Pope Francis.