Catholic church leaders and Islamic scholars yesterday praised President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's announcement that he will bear the cost of renovating the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Omar Mosque which suffered damage from the Israeli invasion of the holy city.
"The news that Sheikh Zayed has undertaken to make good the damage which the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem has suffered in the past weeks is wonderful," declared the Abu Dhabi-based Bishop Bernard Gremoli, Vicar Apostolic of Arabia, currently in Italy.
He said that in this most generous act, it can be seen yet again what a great and good man he is. "It is the act of a great man because greatness consists in being above the prejudices and limited judgements of ordinary human beings and going to the heart of the human situation.
"It is the act of a good man who sees the hurt and harm done to the good order of creation and to the well-being of human beings by hatred and injustice.
"We pray that this example of goodwill from a leader of one religion to a place of worship belonging to another religion will touch the hearts of all those involved in this terrible conflict.
"We who are so fortunate as to live in the UAE pray that God will bless Sheikh Zayed richly, and bring his peace to peoples who have suffered for too long."
There are an estimated 20 church buildings in the UAE - primarily in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah - with plans in the pipeline for more to serve about 250,000-275,000 Christians in the country, a spokesperson for the Dubai-based Middle East Council of Churches stated. Services are allowed to be conducted elsewhere.
At the Gulf-wide level, there are churches in Bahrain, which even has a cathedral, Kuwait and Oman, with permission to build one in Qatar having been granted.
"In terms of church groups there are over 100; and in terms of attitudes, the UAE is among the most liberal, allowing other peoples to practise their faiths," the spokesperson added.
Others from the church echoed this viewpoint.
Father Daniel, Parish Priest, St Mary's Church Dubai, praised Sheikh Zayed as a great man. "We are very grateful to Sheikh Zayed, who has donated a new plot in Al Ain, in the Sanaiya area, for another church to be built there," he said.
He also praised the broadmindedness of the country's leaders in allowing different peoples the freedom to practise their faiths freely in their places of worship.
"In fact, the first church in Dubai was built in 1965 due to the generosity of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who was personally present at its opening," he noted.
He agreed that while it is an Islamic country, the UAE allows different religions and peoples to freely practise their faiths in their places of worship. "In this, as in many other spheres, the UAE is perhaps the most liberal and broadminded country in the entire region."
Father Daniel pointed out that the UAE's leaders continue to allow the clergy to expand in tandem with the country's own growth, noting that new church premises have even opened in Jebel Ali, having started services as recently as last November 15.
Father Angelo, Parish Priest, St Michael's Church Sharjah, also praised Sheikh Zayed. "It is wonderful to see his charitable heart reach out to every group of people. It is a wise and holy man who sees the morality of peoples and of issues without being sidetracked by politics," he noted.
He acknowledged the UAE leaders' wisdom: "The UAE's leaders are all very, very good men, who constantly look towards the good of the people. I pray to God to give them long, long lives, because they know what to do for the good of the people."
Father Angelo, who has been in this region since the 1950s, having spent several years in Yemen, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman before coming to the UAE, also lauded His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, who permitted the building of a chapel in Qasimiya back in 1970.
Father Daniel Cerofolini, Parish Priest at St. Mary's Church, Bur Dubai.© Gulf News |
The church, which serves a Catholic community of around 28,000 residents in Sharjah and Ajman, and attracts as many as 15,000 during Christmas and Easter, has seven halls at the cellar level, in addition to the magnificent main hall at the ground level.
Father Angelo, who comes originally from Florence in Italy - as do many of the Catholic priests belonging to the Vicarate of Arabia, all serving under Bishop Gremoli - added that St Michael's is today the biggest church in Sharjah.
He readily acknowledged that all the UAE's various nationalities and peoples can freely practise their faiths without let or hindrance in their places of worship.
"For instance, there are fortnightly Catholic services in Umm Al Quwain, and in Ras Al Khaimah," he pointed out.
Islamic scholars also praised Sheikh Zayed's move to restore the Church of the Nativity at his own expense, while stressing Islam is a tolerant religion.
They pointed out many people in the West are ignorant about the true values of Islam.
Omar Mohammed Dawood, head of the preaching section at the Department of Awqaf in Sharjah, said the President's gesture affirms Islam is a religion that enhances the values of tolerance and fraternity among people.
"Islam," he pointed out, "calls for peace and harmony, and protects the right of non-Muslims to practise their religions freely."
Fourteen centuries ago, he said, when the pioneering Muslims conquered towns and villages, they never forced the people there to embrace Islam but they granted them the freedom to keep their creeds as long as they do not pose harm to Muslims, Dawood said.
"History tells us the Muslim conquests were unlike any other as they applied mercy to the conquered people and enabled them to live and worship freely."
He pointed out many of those people were amazed by the humanitarian nature of Islam and they became eager to comprehend its tenets and grasp its peaceful spirit.
He maintained that this is the reality of Islam that many people are ignorant about, as they only see a distorted image that associates Islam with terror.
Islam, he added, does not differentiate between colour or race, and preserves one's dignity.
