Ras Al Khaimah In Al Jazeera Al Hamra, a small township on the outskirts of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) city, an oasis of tolerance and faith is slowly taking shape.
The town, an ancient hotspot for fishermen and pearl divers, has been a symbol of local heritage and culture for a long time. It will now add a series of churches.
There were already many mosques, some very old and some new, and now there are nine churches of various denominations to create a true spiritual sanctuary. What adds to the mood of tolerance is the fact that the places of worship are built on a massive land donated by His Highness Shaikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah.
Of the nine churches, four have opened their doors for worship so far. While the fifth, an Anglican church, by far the biggest of the nine, was recently consecrated and will open to the public in the next few weeks. The other four are still under construction.
Gratitude
"We are grateful for the benevolence and generosity of Shaikh Saud for donating the land and giving us permission to build the church, this is a true symbol of tolerance," said Reverend Nelson Fernandez, Chaplain of St Luke's Anglican Church, one of the oldest churches to operate from RAK.
The opening of the new churches shouldn't give the impression that Christian places of worship did not exist before this in RAK. St Luke's Church has existed in some form since 1977 and was open for worship for people of all denominations.
Tracing the history of the Anglican church in RAK, Rev. Fernandez said: "We have operated in the city since 1977, but we never had a permanent base till 1996, when we rented land from Shaikh Sultan Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, the brother of Shaikh Saud, and began services out of portacabins."
The portacabin structure in Al Mamoorah area of RAK will continue its services till the new building in Al Jazeera Al Hamra gets electricity supply.
"This place could be open for the next couple of weeks, until we move permanently to Al Jazeera Al Hamrah. Though it is a bigger and more spacious, I will definitely miss coming here," said K.G. Alexander, one of the oldest parishioners.
Alexander has been in RAK since 1977 and has been an active member of the parish from the time it began operations in 1979.
"We have been moving from place to place, some times operating out of villas and flats. Initially we found a base in the Norwegian Club, then we moved to the English Speaking School [present British Council] and after moving to a couple of other places we finally settled in the rented land from where we were operating until now," said Alexander.
The new St Luke's structure is spread across a 5,600 square metre area, and consists of three separate buildings. The main building has three halls, while the secondary building has six halls, with a total capacity to accommodate 2,000 people. There is also an office building and a villa for the chaplain within the compound.
Relief
"It is a relief to finally find a permanent abode, with all elaborate facilities. Though a bit away from the city, people will find it very convenient and peaceful worshipping here," said Reverend Fernandez, adding that the old building used to get very crowded and cramped particularly during Fridays and Sundays.
Though churches of other denominations are already open, Reverend Fernandez says people from all denominations or faiths are welcome to perform their services in the new St Luke's church.
"We have a tradition of serving all denominations, people of more than a dozen different denominations have been performing from our old building and now that some of them have their own buildings doesn't mean that we won't allow them to come here, our doors are open for all," said Reverend Fernandez, who has been the Chaplain since 2007.
As many as 35 congregations are organised per week at St Luke's, and the church expects to receive more devotees once the new building opens to the public as it is strategically located and closer for people of Umm Al Quwain and other nearby towns, where there is no service.
The churches currently open in Al Jazeera Al Hamrah are Mar Thoma Church, Seventh Day Adventist Church, which is the only church to open in the Gulf for the group, Indian Orthodox Church and the Syrian Jacobite Church. The St Luke's Anglican Church will soon join these four.
There are four other churches under construction in Ras Al Khaimah.
