Mon 8 Apr 2019:
The installation of the 10m-high Buddha statue follows the opening of a Hindu temple by the UAE prince.
A 10m-tall statue of Buddha has been installed on one of the main highways connecting Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The installation is part of the Louvre Abu Dhabi exhibition, and the introduction of this Buddhist monument follows the opening of a Hindu temple by one of the princes of the UAE. These moves have been described by some as unprecedented steps towards “polytheising” the region.
Although the statue is already installed on the Sheikh Zayed Road, the launch will take place on April 7th and will be part of the so-called Highway Gallery’s second edition. A total of ten pieces, dubbed ‘artwork’, will be installed on the road in the days to come, and will be seen by thousands of road users.
The installation of the Buddhist statue comes a year after an Emirati prince inaugurated the opening of the UAE’s first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, as well as the visit by Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, in February 2018.
These recent acts by the Emirati government have been interpreted as overtures to the Hindu nationalist government of Modi in India, and possibly further East, and show the UAE’s desire to accrue foreign investment and business in the Muslim Gulf Nation. Muslims across the world censured the Emirati regime for cosying up to a nationalist government in India, responsible for the aggressive rise of Islamophobia and mass discrimination against Indian Muslims.
In a video uploaded by Al Masdar TV, the Emirati Prince is seen walking between a crowd of Hindu worshippers, many of whom are bowing down to touch his feet. Later on, he addresses the crowd in the Hindu temple, starting off by saying “jai shri ram” – a term used to eulogise the Hindu deity, as well as the Hindu priest known as ‘bapu’.3
It has been noted that the consecration of statues, be they Buddhist, Hindu, or claimed by any polytheist, as well as the public statements endorsing them, are considered major contraventions to the very foundations of Islam by agreement of Muslims who follow a firmly Abrahamic, monotheistic tradition. This includes laying temple foundations, consecrating places of idol worship, or promoting them.
