Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (center) after the opening of the largest stone-built Hindu temple in the Middle East (Associated Press)

On Wednesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the largest traditional stone Hindu temple in the Middle East in Abu Dhabi, during his visit to the UAE, which began on Tuesday and lasted for two days.

This was Modi's third visit to the Emirates in eight months, and he said on his account on the X website about this step: "I feel happy to be part of this sacred moment."

According to Anatolia Agency, Indian media broadcast a video speech by Modi, during the opening of the temple, in which he said, “Today the UAE has written a golden chapter in the history of humanity,” considering that this temple will inject new energy into relations between India and the Emirates.

The temple is located in the Abu Marikha area, near the highway linking the capital, Abu Dhabi, to the neighboring emirate of Dubai, which also opened a Hindu temple last year. According to Indian media, the area of ​​the temple is 55 thousand square meters, and it is the largest Hindu temple built with traditional stone in the Middle East.

According to Anadolu, the Indian community in the UAE constitutes the largest expatriate community in this Gulf country. Relations between the two countries have gradually strengthened since Modi's historic visit to the UAE in 2015, which was the first by an Indian prime minister to the Gulf country in more than 30 years.

The Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi has an area of ​​​​55 thousand square meters (Associated Press)

Extremism and marginalization

As for Reuters, it reported that tens of thousands of Indians flocked to a football stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday to cheer for Modi, who is seeking to win a third term, noting that the number of Indians in the UAE is about 3.5 million, and that the UAE is one of India’s largest trade partners.

Reuters quoted Indian opponents as saying that since Modi assumed the position of Prime Minister in 2014, the rate of religious extremism has increased, with the marginalization of Indian Muslims, who constitute 14 percent of the total population of 1.42 billion people.

The agency noted that India and the UAE signed a series of agreements during the visit, including a framework agreement on developing a maritime and railway trade corridor extending from India across the Arabian Sea to the UAE and across Middle Eastern countries, including Israel, to Europe.

It is worth noting that the Indian Prime Minister arrived in Doha on Wednesday evening, on a visit to Qatar, the first of its kind in 8 years, where he met after his arrival with the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani. According to Anadolu Agency, during the meeting a review took place. Cooperation relations between the two friendly countries and ways to support and develop them, especially in the fields of energy, trade and investment, according to a brief statement by the Qatari Foreign Ministry.

Source: Agencies