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This paper enhances the discourse on religious pluralism by examining the challenges faced by Hindu immigrants in following their religious practices and establishing Hindu temples in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Specifically, it investigates the historical development and architectural evolution of Hindu temples in this predominantly Islamic country. Drawing on historical and ethnographic research, I argue that despite Hinduism’s status as a minority religion in a Muslim-majority nation, the reciprocal relationship between Hindu pluralistic approaches and the UAE government’s religious inclusion policies has facilitated the practice of Hinduism, the construction of temples, and the promotion of religious diversity and inclusion in the UAE.
In the 1900's, despite a sizable population of practicing Hindus, the UAE had only one Hindu temple—a small prayer hall that could hold only twenty people, located in Dubai's old city (Bur Dubai). Requests for a larger prayer hall were not only consistently rejected but also strongly2 discouraged.However, in the 21st century, the UAE authorities granted permission for the construction of a much larger Hindu temple spanning approximately 70,000 square feet in the Jebel Ali Worship Village of Dubai, which opened in 2022.
On February 11, 2018, Hindu monks unveiled a model of a traditional Hindu temple at the Dubai Opera in the presence of UAE authorities. Simultaneously, auspicious rituals were conducted by Hindu priests at the temple site in Abu Mureikhem, Abu Dhabi. The Hindu monks expressed gratitude towards the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for gifting the land and granting permission to build the temple that would “facilitate the traditional practice of the Hindu faith and serve the over 3.3 million Indians residing in the UAE through interfaith dialogue, pluralism, and universal human values” (Talwar Badam 2018).1 This traditional Hindu temple featuring images and shrines dedicated to seven Hindu deities was inaugurated just recently. These developments were met with surprise and delight by many Hindus, who marveled at the allowance for traditional Hindu temples with images of Hindu gods and goddesses in an Islamic Middle Eastern country.
In these intersecting realms of religion, politics, and diaspora, I examine how the Hindu community in the UAE was permitted not only to build a traditional temple but also to perform Hindu religious rituals and celebrate Indian cultural festivals. This development is particularly intriguing given that Islamic authorities typically view images of Hindu deities as idols, while polytheism and idol worship are explicitly prohibited in Islam under the concept of shirk, which denotes the sin committed by associating, worshipping, or deifying anyone or anything other than Allah.2 What is even more noteworthy is that the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, an absolute Islamic monarchy, personally gifted land for building the temple and extended state support and protection to a non-Islamic place of worship. Moreover, based on my research findings, it becomes evident that the execution of the temple project required resolution not only of differences between Hindu practitioners and Muslim authorities but also among competing Hindu religious sects.
In this complex religiopolitical area, I examine both the interreligious and intrareligious tensions and obstacles encountered in building Hindu temples within an Islamic nation. Intersecting the fields of religious pluralism, civic studies, and state politics, I ask: what sorts of encounters and dialogues, agreements and disagreements, critiques and self-reflections, and other modes of pluralism transpired between Emirati Muslim authorities and diasporic Hindu communities in permitting Hindu religious practices and constructing Hindu temples in the UAE? I aim to explore how these permissions and state support were 3 perceived by grassroots Hindu and Muslim populations, and to investigate whether and in what ways these temples have impacted Hindu-Muslim relations at the local level.
I build upon the works on Hindu-Muslim relations and religious pluralism by scholars such as Peter Gottschalk,3 Anna Bigelow,4 Carl Ernst,5 and Jorg Friedrichs,6 who offer insights into the intricate dynamics of religious coexistence within diverse societies. Gottschalk's seminal work on Hindu-Muslim encounters, for instance, explores the social exchanges and cohabitation between these religious communities by examining their multiple identities, shared histories, and divergent trajectories. Ernst's examination of Muslim engagement with Hindu religious and cultural customs reveals the interplay between Hinduism and Islam within multicultural contexts. Further, studies focusing on diaspora communities and transnational religious practices, as exemplified by the works of Steven Vertovec,7 Peggy Levitt,8 Jennifer Saunders,9 and Knut Jacobson,10 illuminate the role of temples as vital hubs for cultural preservation and identity formation among migrant populations.
Drawing on these scholarly works and my empirical research, this paper analyzes the diverse roles played by Hindu temples in the UAE, including being pivotal sites for cultural exchange, social cohesion, and community empowerment within the expatriate community. Through a series of interviews with temple administrators, governmental authorities, and Hindu and Muslim practitioners, the paper investigates the diverse ways in which Hindu temples in the UAE contribute to the preservation of Hindu cultural heritage, dissemination of religious teachings, the sense of belonging among individuals from diverse backgrounds, and mitigating tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities in the UAE.
Overall, the paper offers critical insights into the evolving dynamics of Hindu-Muslim relations, religious pluralism, and cultural integration in the UAE, and sheds light on the transformative potential of temples as agents of social change and communal harmony in the Middle Eastern context.
1 Ramola Talwar Badam, “Abu Dhabi’s First Hindu Temple to Re-Tell Ancient Stories of Wisdom,” The National, February 17, 2018, https://www.thenational.ae/uae/abu-dhabi-s-first-hindu-temple-to-re-tell....
2 Muhammad Saed Abdul-Rahman, Islam: Questions and Answers: Polytheism (Shirk) and Its Different Forms - Volume 5 of a Series of Islamic Books (MSA Publication Limited, 2003).
3 Peter Gottschalk, Beyond Hindu and Muslim: Multiple Identity in Narratives from Village India (Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005).
4 Anna Bigelow, Sharing the Sacred: Practicing Pluralism in Muslim North India (Oxford University Press, USA, 2010).
5 Carl W. Ernst, Refractions of Islam in India: Situating Sufism and Yoga (SAGE Publications, 2016).
6 Jörg Friedrichs, Hindu–Muslim Relations: What Europe Might Learn from India (Taylor & Francis, 2018).
7 Steven Vertovec, The Hindu Diaspora: Comparative Patterns (Routledge, 2013); Steven Vertovec, Transnationalism (Routledge, 2009); Steven Vertovec, Superdiversity: Migration and Social Complexity (Routledge, 2023).
8 Peggy Levitt, God Needs No Passport: Immigrants and the Changing American Religious Landscape (New Press, 2009); Peggy Levitt, The Transnational Villagers (University of California Press, 2023).
9 Jennifer B. Saunders, Imagining Religious Communities: Transnational Hindus and Their Narrative Performances (Oxford University Press, 2019).
10 Knut A. Jacobsen, Hindu Diasporas (Oxford University Press, 2024).
Abstract for Online Program Book (maximum 150 words)
This paper examines the challenges faced by Hindu immigrants in practicing their religion and establishing temples in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a predominantly Islamic country. Against the backdrop of global conflicts rooted in religious diversity, the paper enhances the discourse on religious pluralism by analyzing the historical development and architectural evolution of Hindu temples in the UAE. Drawing on my historical and ethnographic research, I argue that despite Hinduism’s status as a minority religion in a Muslim-majority nation, the reciprocal relationship between Hindu pluralistic approaches and the UAE government’s religious inclusion policies has facilitated the practice of Hinduism, the construction of temples, and the promotion of religious diversity and inclusion in the UAE. The paper analyzes the religiopolitical dynamics, interreligious tensions, and roles played by Hindu temples in promoting cultural exchange, social cohesion, and community empowerment, offering insights into Hindu-Muslim relations, religious pluralism, and cultural integration in the UAE.