The Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed mosque in Al
Mushrif, a district in Abu Dhabi, UAE, was on
Wednesday renamed ‘Mariam, Umm Eisa’.
Mariam Umm Eisa is an Arabic name for Mary, the
mother of Jesus.
The renaming of the mosque was ordered by
Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi crown
prince, “to consolidate bonds of humanity between
followers of different religions”, Gulf News reports.
Reacting to the development, Andrew Thompson, a
senior chaplain at St Andrew’s Church, was quoted as
saying: “We are delighted that we are celebrating
something that we have in common between both our
faiths.
“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,” Thompson said.
Jeramie Rinne, senior pastor of the Evangelical
Community Church in Abu Dhabi also hailed the news.
“Mohammad has made another generous gesture of
religious tolerance in renaming the mosque. 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,” he said.
A church in Al Ain was said to have recently opened its
doors for Maghrib prayers.
Church workers reportedly laid down carpets on the
wooden floor for over 200 Asian Muslim workers to
say their prayers.
TheCable
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