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UAE home to 76 non-Muslim places of worship
Dubai - The Emirates are founded on the principles of tolerance.
(KT file photo)
The UAE, which was founded on the principles of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, is home to 76 places of worship for non-Muslims.
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According to a report in Arabic daily Al Ittihad, these include the following:
>> St. Joseph Church
The first church in Abu Dhabi city, it is built on the Corniche. It has been serving as a leading centre for the followers of the Catholic community in Abu Dhabi since 1965.
>> St Andrews Church
It was initially founded on the Corniche in Abu Dhabi in 1968. It was relocated to the Mushrif area in 1984.
>> Saint George Orthodox Church
The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan laid its foundation stone in the Khalidiya area in 1970. It was relocated to the Mushrif area in 1982.
>> The Coptic Orthodox Church
It was built in the Mushrif area in 1984 to serve the Coptic Orthodox community in the emirate.
>> Evangelical Church
Evangelicals are among the oldest religious groups in the UAE. The Abu Dhabi Government specified a plot of land in the Mushrif area for the Evangelical community of Protestant Christians to build a church in 1994.
>> The Evangelical Church in Al Ain
It opened in Al Ain in 1996. It maintains a camp for prayer and contemplation during the holy month of Ramadan.
>> Syriac Orthodox Jacobite - St. George Church
The President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in 2004, granted a plot of land for the Syriac community in Al Ain. It was officially opened in 2010.
>> Mar Thoma Church - Abu Dhabi
The Syriacs residing in Abu Dhabi began practising their religious rituals as guests at St. Andrews Church until the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan granted them a plot of land to build a church. They moved to their new church in the Mussafah area in 2006.
>> The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
In 2006, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, granted a plot of land in the Mussafah area for the members of the community to build a church. It is the first church for this sect in the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf.
>> Mar Thoma Church Al Ain
The Mar Thoma Church in Al Khurair, Al Ain, is based on a plot of land granted by the UAE Government in 2006.
>> Virgin Mary Catholic Church
The Virgin Mary Catholic Church was opened in 1970.
>> The Coptic Church - Al Ain
The church was opened in the Mezyad area in 2010.
>> The Syriac Malankara Orthodox Church, Al Ain
This church was opened in Al Ain in 1968 for serving the Syriac Orthodox community. In 2010, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, granted them a plot of land for building a church in Al Khurair, Al Ain.
>> The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Prophet Elijah
The Greek Orthodox clergymen began sponsoring Orthodox families in the 1980s. The Evangelical Church in Abu Dhabi hosted the rituals and the priest's residence. In 2011, the President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, allocated them a plot of land in the Mussafah area in Abu Dhabi. The cathedral was opened in 2018 for serving the Greek Orthodox Christians in the emirate.
>> Christian Association Church
The Christian Association Church in Mussafah was built in 2011 on a plot of land provided by the Abu Dhabi Government for serving the Protestant community.
>> The Armenian Church
The Armenian Church was opened 20 years ago in Sharjah. In the early 1980s, Catholicos Kishishian, head of the Armenian Church, visited the UAE, following which a plot of land was allocated for the Armenian community in the Mussafah area. It was officially opened in 2014.
>> Baps Hindu Mandir
A plot of land was allocated for the temple in 2015. The temple is expected to be completed by 2023.
>> St. Paul's Church
St. Paul's Church was inaugurated in the Mussafah area, Abu Dhabi, in 2015.
>> Dubai
Dubai is home to 11 churches, seven of which are in Bur Dubai, and four in Jebel Ali. The Catholic Church of Saint Mary in the Oud Metha is one of the oldest churches in Dubai, dating back to over 51 years.
>> Yarmouk complex, Sharjah
The Yarmouk Complex in the Yarmouk area in Sharjah includes 15 churches serving more than 170 different nationalities.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com
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