Expats fete tolerant UAE

Dubai: The UAE has come a long way and, without doubt, expatriates have found in the country a home away from home and an environment in which they can exercise their religious freedom unhindered.

The latest International Religious Freedom Report released by the US Department of State says that while Islam is the official religion of the UAE, the government follows a policy of tolerance towards non-Muslim religious groups.

The report quotes leading Christian figures such as the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia, who showered plaudits on the UAE's leadership for its encouragement of inter-faith dialogue and the country's role in spreading tolerance and promoting coexistence among various faiths.

Local Christian denomination leaders who spoke to Gulf News unanimously praised the UAE authorities. And as the country marked its 37th National Day on Tuesday, the Christian community joined in celebrating the achievements of the UAE.

In Dubai, Reverend Dr V. Dilkumar, the senior overseeing minister of King's Revival Church International Ministries, said: "This is a memorable, blessed day for this lovely nation of the UAE. Even though the whole world is passing through times of various uncertainties in areas such as finance, terrorism and wars, this nation will receive the almighty's abundant mercy, by which it shall rise up as an exemplary, shining role model to many countries in the world." The church, which marked its 17th anniversary in the UAE last month, conducts services in several languages, including English, Arabic, Urdu, Sinhala and Swahili. The church also has an extensive, dedicated network of charity organisations and mercy missions in a number of countries around the world.

Referring to religious freedom in the UAE, Reverend Thomas Daniel, the senior pastor of Dubai Marthoma Church, said: "The UAE continues to provide a setting in which people can live together and express their faith with mutual forbearance, to the profit of all. We, as a church of more than 2,000 families, join the nation as it marks the auspicious 37th National Day."

Pastor Daniel was also thankful to the authorities for donating the land in Jebel Ali on which his church is built.

The government recognises a number of Christian denominations, through the issuance of land-use permits, for the construction and operation of churches. According to the US State Department report, non-Muslim religious leaders regularly declare the UAE to be one of the most liberal countries in the region.

Religious freedom: Recent developments

• On June 11, Al Sayed Ali Al Hashemi, Religious Affairs Adviser to the president, hosted an interfaith gathering at his residence, to which he invited the Apostolic Vicar of Arabia and Roman Catholic Bishop of Abu Dhabi Paul Hinder.
• On May 17, the Media Affairs Centre of the Deputy Prime Minister's Office organised a symposium entitled "The Role of the Vatican in Promoting Coexistence around the World and the Reality of Religious Tolerance in UAE."
• On April 27, the president's religious affairs adviser attended the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church in the UAE's Easter celebration.
• On April 15, the president received the credentials of 13 ambassadors, including a new envoy from the Vatican.
• On March 26, a new Ismaili Centre was opened in Dubai. The centre was built on land donated by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
• On March 23, Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan opened a new Evangelical Church building in Abu Dhabi.