There are other Christian churches in Dubai. I have visited there about a dozen times. We used to go to the expat Middle Eastern softball tournment twice a year hosted by the Hotel Chicago. It was a good break from Saudi, especially since you could drink alcohol in public. Dubai is a great place.
Someone else said there are four. I never saw one. But I imagine I just didn't look hard enough.
That sounds a little different from your initial statement, "The whole time I was there I never saw a church nor could I find a Bible in their book stores." There are churches in the UAE whether you personally saw them or not. How long were you there?
As she acknowledged, there isn't exactly freedom of religion in Dubai or the U.A.E...at least not any freedom we would recognize. What freedom there is wouldn't even match U.N. standards of human rights...and we all now how low that standard is.
You can practice your religion, but you can't proselytize. It may not be up to Texas standards, but it is infinitely better than Saudi Arabia. I wouldn't minimize what is going on in UAE re religious freedom. The author comes to a similar conclusion.
"So ultimately, after giving this some thought, my conclusion is as follows. The UAE's limited freedom is not ideal, but it is far more than other countries offer. And it is the responsibility of the UAE's guests (which we are) to act within their laws, and to respect the freedom that they have given us."
"There are other ways of convincing people to change their belief systems. But disobeying the law is certainly not going to impress many people."
Kabar,
I give up. I was only there for a few months between '99 and '00 though I had family there for years. I lived in the compound behind their WTC across from the prince's horse track. I'm sure you know the place. I drafted a long response to you but I trashed it. It serves no purpose. It goes way beyond religious freedom and you know exactly what I'm talking about. We both know if we sit down and write about what we can and can't do over there and how we can do what is allowed it doesn't amount to a hill of beans when you're talking about the freedoms western civilization has struggled for almost two thousand years to win. I just thought I owed you this. As I said, I give up. When you get really tired, and maybe a little old as I am, pigs with lipstick don't look so bad. I just won't go out with them.
Regards,
Cornpone