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| Arabia | |
| UAE renames Abu Dhabi mosque after Mary, mother of Jesus | |
| 2017-06-19 | |
| [ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A mosque in the capital of the United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi was renamed on Wednesay to "Mariam Umm Eisa" ‐ meaning mother of Jesus in Arabic. The move was aimed at promoting social connections between followers of different religions and strengthen the common characteristics between them, local media reported.
UAE's Minister of State for Tolerance Sheikha Lubna al-Qasimi said the move reflected the Crown Prince’s "pure humanity and portrays a bright image of the real tolerance and coexistence in the UAE." Qasimi explained that the mosque is located in a place that reflects values of tolerance and coexistence, as the area includes "many civilized places of worship." February last year, the UAE opened the Ministry of Tolerance to "promote tolerance as a fundamental value in UAE society," the ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum said. Senior chaplain Reverend Canon Thompson at nearby Anglican church St. Andrews said he was pleased with the renaming. "We are delighted that we are celebrating something that we have in common between both our faiths," he told Gulf News. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 a mosque doing mosque things yes I don't think the mosque named after Mary will have a female prayer leader nor will it likely preach against the 'women are inferior' type verses in the koran |
| Posted by: lord garth 2017-06-19 13:20 |
| #2 It is surprising but its still a mosque doing mosque things. A sop to the West? |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2017-06-19 10:40 |
| #1 nearby Anglican church St. Andrews To my mild surprise (don't know much about Abu Dhabi), it seems they're building a second, bigger church which will be next door not to this mosque, but -- conveniently for the umpteen denominations they host -- to workers' housing. |
| Posted by: Zenobia Floger6220 2017-06-19 02:16 |