His
Highness, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has ordered the
renaming of a popular Mosque to "Mary, the mother of Jesus" mosque.
Christian, Muslim leaders and UAE official during the renaming
The Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Mosque in Al Mushrif, a district in the capital Abu Dhabi, was on Wednesday, renamed ‘Mariam, Umm Eisa’ — Arabic for ‘Mary, the mother of Jesus’, Gulf News reports.
The change was ordered by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al
Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE
Armed Forces, to “consolidate bonds of humanity between followers of different religions”.
Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance, thanked Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed for his “wise
directives in carrying out this initiative that set a shining example,
and a beautiful image of the tolerance and coexistence enjoyed by the
UAE”, according to a statement carried by WAM.
Mohammad Mattar Al Kaabi, Chairman of the General Authority of
Islamic Affairs and Endowments, also thanked Shaikh Mohammad for this
initiative.
He added that since the days of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan,
the UAE has always been keen on tolerance and peaceful coexistence “that is based on justice and brotherliness among all those living in the UAE”.
Al Kaabi added that this was the same approach followed by
President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Shaikh
Mohammad, as people from more than 200 nations are living in comfort and
security in the UAE.
The mosque
Just steps away from the newly-renamed mosque is St Andrew’s
Church, an Anglican parish. Its senior chaplain, Reverend Canon Andrew
Thompson, said that he was “delighted” with the news.
“We are delighted that we are celebrating something that we have in common between both our faiths,” he told Gulf News.
“Mary, as the mother of Jesus, is of course a holy, special
figure in our communities. She is a woman who symbolises obedience to
God. We look forward to growing in deeper understanding with our
neighbours, and we celebrate with them the new name of the mosque.”
The senior pastor of the Evangelical Community Church in Abu Dhabi also hailed the news.
“His Highness Shaikh Mohammad has made another generous gesture of religious tolerance in renaming the mosque,” said Jeramie Rinne.
“The UAE continues to set the pace in this region for peaceful
coexistence and cooperation. We are very encouraged and feel blessed to
be a part of this nation.”
Amid sectarian conflicts and regional chaos, the UAE has been seeking to boost its national values of tolerance of other faiths.
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