Indian PM Modi inaugurates first stone-built Hindu temple in UAE

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first traditional, stone-built Hindu temple in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday, during his visit to the Gulf country. 

Emirati Minister Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan also participated in the opening ceremony.

In his address at the opening ceremony of the temple, Emirati Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Sheikh Al Nahyan bin Mubarak said that Narendra Modi's visit to the Emirates is a symbol of friendship, cooperation and trust.

Prime Minister Modi made a special visit to the newly inaugurated temple in Abu Mureikha. 

During the opening ceremony, the national anthems of both the countries were played in the community hall of the Hindu temple.

Thousands of devotees participated in the religious ceremony. Narendra Modi added holy water from the Ganges and Yamuna rivers to the temple's waterway and offered a special aarti (ritual) with flowers.

The temple will be opened to the public from February 18. Its construction was started in 2018 for which red and pink stones were brought from the Indian state of Rajasthan and marble from Italy.

The Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a renowned worldwide religious and civic organisation within the Swaminarayan sect, oversaw the construction of the temple.

An official statement from the Indian Foreign Ministry confirmed that India and the UAE inked a key agreement for a transnational trade project, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.

The trade corridor will connect India, the US, Middle Eastern nations, and European countries through railways and maritime routes. This global network aims to boost trade, secure energy resources, and increase digital connectivity.

Experts believe Modi's visit to the UAE reflects an attempt to internationalise his election campaign. They also see his efforts to strengthen ties with Muslim Gulf states as a way to secure energy resources for India's economy. 

Additionally, the move could aim to improve his global reputation amid international criticism of his government's treatment of religious minorities, particularly Muslims, and rising Islamophobia in India.

In August 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government revoked Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, granting special status to the Muslim-majority region of Jammu and Kashmir. That same month, Prime Minister Modi visited the United Arab Emirates, where he was awarded the country's highest civilian honour.

In January, the BJP government held an opulent inauguration ceremony for the inauguration of Ram Temple on the ruins of the demolished Babri Mosque. The 1992 demolition triggered widespread riots, resulting in the deaths of approximately 2,000 people, mostly Muslims.