Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed agreed to Modi’s temple request in 5 mins,’ states UAE diplomat

New Delhi: During a lecture in the capital, a prominent UAE diplomat shared the swift response of President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s request for a Hindu temple in the UAE. The diplomat, Anwar Mohammed Gargash, who serves as a diplomatic advisor to the UAE president, highlighted that it took President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan only “five minutes” to agree to allocate land for the construction of a Hindu temple during one of Modi’s early visits in the mid-2010s.

Gargash, who also served as the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs from 2008-2021, explained, “When Prime Minister Narendra Modi came [to the UAE], one of the early requests he made was to get land for the Indian community to build this magnificent Hindu temple. We saw that as an early test of the relationship.” According to Gargash, President Mohamed bin Zayed swiftly responded, saying, “Of course, let’s find the right place.”

At that time, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed (MBZ) was serving as the UAE’s de facto leader during the ill health of his brother Sheikh Khalifa, the country’s then-president. In 2022, MBZ assumed the position of the UAE President.

PM Modi recently traveled to the UAE to inaugurate Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple, marking his seventh visit to the country. This event followed the inauguration of a Ram temple in Ayodhya a month earlier, built on the land of a demolished mosque. The Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, constructed by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha over a 27-acre site, is the largest in the Middle East and the third in the UAE. PM Modi had initially announced the temple during his 2018 visit to the UAE, with a foundation stone-laying ceremony taking place a year later.

Gargash views this development as an illustration of the strengthening relationship between the two nations, transforming what was once compared to an “untended olive garden.” Over recent years, the UAE and India have deepened their strategic and economic ties, marked by the signing of a free trade agreement, reciprocal high-level visits, and more.

The UAE stands as India’s third-largest trading partner, while India holds the position of the UAE’s second-largest. The significant Indian expatriate community, numbering around 3.5 million in the oil-rich nation, contributes substantially to remittance inflows.