[ad_1]
this Abraham Family Home is the name of three massive concrete cubes – a church, a mosque and a synagogue – that have just officially opened in Abu Dhabi. The project is the result of a controversial agreement signed there in 2019 between Pope Francis and Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed Tayeb, which asserted that the existence of separate religions was God’s will, This upsets many Christians. But it was a remarkable coup for the UAE government and will no doubt reassure expats that there is religious freedom in the UAE. In fact, I don’t know how many of them are even aware that “apostate” – for example, a Muslim converting to Christianity – is still a capital offense in the UAE.
But is this nitpicking justified? Since the UAE adopted Sharia law in 1978, virtually no one has been executed for apostasy.Undoubtedly the big thing here is that Jews, long the target of Muslim anti-Semitism, are now welcome to practice their religion In an officially Islamic country. The Synagogue at the Abraham Family House is the first purpose-built synagogue to open in the Arab world since the 1930s.There is no doubt that the UAE is moving rapidly towards religious tolerance, and perhaps we shouldn’t be too worried about the boilerplate polyfaith jargon coming from the high-sounding nameHigher Community of Human Fraternity‘ presided over the Abraham Family Home.
On this episode of Holy Smoke, I weigh the pros and cons of this lavish project with Nathan Eckersley, who joins the podcast as our new researcher. He is excited about the Abraham Family Home. I think the jury is still out, and I still believe the concept of the “Faith of Abraham” is more than just irritating fiction. But listen to yourself.
[ad_2]
Source link