UAE: “A Huge Leap from Medieval Ways”
UAE: “A Huge Leap from Medieval Ways”
By Sara Al Nuaimi, The Gatestone Institute, October 14, 2015
Sara Al Nuaimi is an Emirati lady, a Muslim and a cultural activist based in Abu Dhabi.
A tweet by India's Prime Minister Modi on Aug. 16, during his visit to Abu Dhabi, prompted a unique cultural debate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Announcing to his 14.9 million followers that the UAE government had allotted land for a Hindu temple, he prompted a discussion on Twitter that generated over 25,000 tweets in the Arabic language alone (a very large number for public opinion in the UAE and other Arabian monarchies), coverage on the BBC, and more.
It was the remarkable crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who donated land for the temple; he did so to foster cultural and religious tolerance and fit his longstanding effort to bring diversity to Abu Dhabi (another notable example was establishing the Guggenheim Museum). As the prince explained , a "civilized, advanced" Abu Dhabi with sustainable development requires "concerted efforts from all sectors of the community" -- Hindus included. The temple also fit newly passed UAE legislation establishing religious freedom .
But the prospect of a state-supported Hindu temple immediately provoked an uproar, beginning with the Twitter hashtag (in Arabic) #BuildingAHinduTempleInAbuDhabi. The imam of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi (where super-star Rihanna controversially had modeled her Arabian outfit), Waseem Yousef, kicked off the debate that same day with a tweet asserting that "Religion is for Allah only. All Imams agree that building temples for idol worshipping is a blasphemy."
Translation: "Religion is for Allah only. All Imams agree that building temples for idol worshipping is a blasphemy." — Waseem Yousef
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I was very pleased to see this article, to see that at least one Arab country is dragging itself out of the middle ages. Although all faiths and ethnicities are to be protected, I would be interested in knowing if that includes Jews, especially Israeli Jews.
Oh, and John, you can post your usual comment that this is from such a biased source that includes John Bolton among its staff, but then that would just be shooting your usual stance on Muslims in the foot, would it not because is this not a pro-Muslim article? I thought I was one of the persons whom you said never posts pro-Muslim articles.
This is some big news . But I won't be officially impressed till they permit a Catholic Church to be built . The services include alcohol but they call it the "blood of Christ" .
I find it to be unsettling that they consider this to be a huge leap from the Middle Ages. It's just a church, or a gathering place for the Hindus to worship.
In "Behind the Veil-- The Life of a Saudi Princess", the author detailed the current law, whereby it is illegal to refuse to bury one's dog-- but not one's wife. To me, this church is much ado about nothing. They should be taking care of the general culture that is still in the Dark Ages-- mistreatment of one's family.
I realize that they are our "allies", but the Saudis, while an important force in the Mid East, are more like the lesser of several evils.
The Hindu Temple is just a start. Did you read the new legislation that is linked? religious freedom .
Thanks for the link, Buzz!
Yes, that is an important step, especially for a predominantly Muslim country! Yet, this bugs me:
"The law criminalising all forms of discrimination on the grounds of religion, caste, creed, doctrine, race, colour or ethnic origin was enacted on Monday."
I notice that gender wasn't in there... And it won't be in there for a long time, either...