I am often asked by people looking to move to Dubai, as well as friends and family, about Christianity in the UAE and whether it’s possible, or even legal, to attend church here. I am not sure you are able to buy a Bible in a book store in a local mall, but according to weknowdubai.com it may interest you to know that there are thirteen different options for worship, ranging from Baptist to Catholic to Greek Orthodox.
Bearing this in mind I was interested to read in the Gulf News today about the Holy Trinity church in Oud Metha which has been in existence since 1970, and has clearly grown extensively since then. They now offer services in English, Arabic, Tagalog, Hindi, Urdu, Malaysalam, Greek, Chinese, French, Korean, Russian, Sinhala, Amharic, Tigrigna, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu (wow I didn’t even know some of those languages existed before). An impressive 12,000 people attend services on a friday.
I guess that answers the question. Whether these options suit everyone is another matter entirely.
The Gulf News story is here.
The Holy Trinity church’s website is here.
Category: reality
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the Holy Trinity
[the church in 1970, picture courtesy Gulf News] -
our ecological footprint
I wanted to share this little film clip from Emirates Wildlife Society with you as it’s something we all tend to forget about living here, but the reality is we all need to start making better choices.
Emirates Wildlife Society – UAE Ecological Footprint -2010: UAE
This stop-motion animation for WWF/EWS took over 150 hours of set building, 300 newspapers, and 200 hours of shooting for 2500 stills. The process took place in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and London and needed over 50 hours of meetings and more than 400 cups of coffee.Credits:
Client: Emirates Wildlife Society – World Wildlife Fund
Advertising Agency: AYA Middle East
Creative director: Kal Dreisziger, AYA
Copywriter: Kal Dreisziger, AYA
Art director: Viko Ferrari, AYA
Director: Ben Falk
Producer: Phil Vanier, Asylum Films
Production Designer: Pippa Culpepper, Asylum Films
Art Director: Sarah Ascroft-Leigh, Asylum Films
Production Company: Asylum Films, Asylum Films
Post production / Animation: Asylum Films
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the real Sand Cat
I picked the name “sandCat” for my blog entirely on a whim, mostly because my nickname is Cat, and I am living in the desert (where there is…uh…sand). To my surprise and delight I read this morning (in the 7days newspaper) about the successful IVF breeding of a Sand Cat kitten by the Al Ain Zoo and some US scientists. The cat is native to the UAE and Arabia but sadly is in danger of extinction.
Isn’t s(he) lovely.
[what a cutie]
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glorious flame trees
The flame trees in Dubai are beautiful right now. Don’t you agree?
I hope our little guy looks like these one day. 🙂
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a bit of a shock really
If you were planning to enjoy a steak and Guinness pie, or even a Crêpe Suzette, during your visit to Dubai I have sad news for you. It’s not going to happen!
A law that was originally passed in 2003 is now to be enforced with immediate effect according to a story in the 7days today, namely no alcohol may be used in the cooking or preparation of food dishes in restaurants and hotels.
Personally I am having a moment of silence at what this may mean for our culinary adventure.