Largest gurdwara in Gulf region opens

[ejazr]

Largest gurdwara in Gulf region opens - Times Of India

LUDHIANA: The largest gurdwara of Gulf region has been opened for public in Dubai. Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar has been constructed at a cost of $20 million. Though Dubai has 50,000 Sikhs staying there, it had no gurdwara so far.

Vice-president and prime minister of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Makhtoum, had granted 25,400 sq feet land for the gurdwara in Jebel Ali area.

"It is indeed a historic moment for Sikh community. I have been living in Dubai for 32 years and we had no place of worship. Now we at least have this gurdwara for solemnizing marriages and holding other religious ceremonies," said, Ravinderpal singh, 50, resident of Al-Qusais-Dubai and owner of an eatery.

Avtar Singh, 36, from Bur Dubai, who works with a multinational corporation, said, "We will go to the gurdwara for special prayers on Friday. Everyone in Dubai speaks in Hindi and Punjabi and this is a great place. There was only one thing missing and that was a place where we could say our prayers. Now, the government has also provided this to us."

He added that this was graceful gesture from UAE and signalled the beginning of a new chapter in the relations between Sikhs and Dubai government.

In the first week of January 2012, ruler of conservative Sharjah emirate Dr Sheikh Sultan III bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, had given 10 acres for a new crematorium for Hindus and Sikhs.

[Blackwater]

well i have heard ruler of UAE is very nice man. The only dedicator which thinks for common man.

[Singh]

Though Dubai has 50,000 Sikhs staying there, it had no gurdwara so far.

Not exactly true

[Blackwater]

Not exactly true

can u back up ur claims??

[Singh]

can u back up ur claims??

Yes,

I used to visit the Gurudwara in Dubai. It wasn't advertised openly due to the then religious laws, but its location wasn't exactly a secret.

[Blackwater]

Yes,

I used to visit the Gurudwara in Dubai. It wasn't advertised openly due to the then religious laws, but its location wasn't exactly a secret.

Then y u think sheikh bin bin bin bin allowed,, is he afraid of Arab uprising or something else ? pls share ur views

[ejazr]

Then y u think sheikh bin bin bin bin allowed,, is he afraid of Arab uprising or something else ? pls share ur views

What Arab Spring can 50,000 Sikhs who are mostly foreigners do?

IMO, its a practical implementation of freedom of religion to all residents in UAE and improving relations with India through religious diplomacy. There are already a number of churches and Hindu temple in UAE, so the Gurudwara is an addition to that. Oman, Qatar Bahrain also have churches and temples. Also, in Iraq there is a recently rebuilt historical Gurudwara near Baghdad which had been destroyed during the Iraqi invasion.

[ejazr]

gulfnews : New place of worship: Sikhs thank Dubai
DUBAI: Sikhs visiting their new place of worship, the Gurunanak Darbar Gurdwara in Jebel Ali, have expressed deep gratitude to Dubai for giving them a plot of land on which to build the emirate's first official Sikh temple.

The Dh73 million complex, which opened in January and adjoins a cluster of churches in Jebel Ali, has spacious halls and sports attention to detail following a three-year construction phase. Until recently, Dubai's Sikh community prayed at a gurdwara in the temple complex in Bur Dubai.

Thankful to Ruler

"Bahut achcha [very good]," said Paramjit Singh, 45. "No words can express the gratitude I feel when I come to this gurdwara. We are very thankful to Dubai's Ruler, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, for the land and the permission for us to have this place," said Paramjit, who has worked in Dubai for 12 years as a heavy equipment driver.

XPRESS had a tour of the facility, fronted by a water body flowing around the façade.

With a total area of 100,000 sqft (approx 25,000 sqft at each level), the new multi-storey centre was built with money donated by the Sikh community and has a dedicated floor for feasts, an intermediate floor and two basement parking levels.

Devotees leave their shoes in racks by the two entrances. Washing areas and water closets are fitted with some of the world's best plumbing equipment brands.

Mauve-coloured carpet, chandeliers and modern acoustics lend a distinct touch to the column-free main prayer hall, topped by an 18-metre glass dome that offers generous lighting.

The main hall can accommodate up to 3,000 people at a time. And up to 600 people can eat together squatting on the ground floor on a carpeted marble floor served by volunteers who dole out free meals in the "langar" (dining hall) from about 7am till 11pm. A modern kitchen is able to prepare 1,800 meals per hour and wash 1,200 plates and glasses an hour.

Parminder Singh, 22, a heavy equipment driver in Dubai from India's Hoshiarpur district in Punjab, said: "I try to come here whenever I can every day and volunteer my time. Of course we are grateful for the religious tolerance in Dubai."

Satinder Singh, 45, a driving school instructor in Dubai who also helps tidy up the area, added: "I'm so happy. Whenever I am here. I feel like I'm in Amritsar's Golden Temple."

Representatives of the estimated 50,000 member Sikh community in the UAE said they wish to keep a low profile. "This is the first official Sikh house of worship in Dubai, and the whole community is extremely thankful to the Dubai government," said an official: "But we don't want to get too much attention to ourselves or our community."

[The Messiah]

[Blackwater]

What Arab Spring can 50,000 Sikhs who are mostly foreigners do?

IMO, its a practical implementation of freedom of religion to all residents in UAE and improving relations with India through religious diplomacy. There are already a number of churches and Hindu temple in UAE, so the Gurudwara is an addition to that. Oman, Qatar Bahrain also have churches and temples. Also, in Iraq there is a recently rebuilt historical Gurudwara near Baghdad which had been destroyed during the Iraqi invasion.

i do understand gurudwara in a muslim country is vulnerable but i must give credit to Sheikh makhtum of Dubai to allow gurudwara and land at subsidize rate.

this is the reason UAE is spared from arab spring

[pmaitra]

There is a larger picture at Flickr.

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