Dear Heaven Maker:
I recently read an inspiring story about how the 3 Abrahamic Faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) are coming together in one place – Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
There will be three separate houses of worship in one location, collectively known as the Abrahamic Family House, standing together as a symbol of the kind of religious tolerance that the UAE wants to be known for and it’s also meant to be seen as a strong sign of hope.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, a top Abu Dhabi official and member of the so-called Higher Committee charged with implementing the Human Fraternity initiative said, “To have the Abrahamic House in the Arab world, in the Muslim world, showcasing that in this part of the world — where all the news is about hate and darkness, pushing an agenda of division — we are basically planting a beacon of light.”
Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig, senior rabbi at Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, added: “We need to put hope over hate and faith over fear at a time when no religious faith or institution has been immune to the type of violence we have seen.”
The church, the synagogue and the mosque are not going to be museum pieces or tourist attractions but are instead aimed at serving the religiously diverse population of the UAE, where the huge influx of migrant workers means there are hundreds of thousands of Christians — largely Catholics — as well as members of other religions, including an active Jewish community that numbers about 3,000.
I see this as a concrete symbol of Heaven on Earth.
Martin
Martin Rutte
