Today's Edition
Dr Yousef Abdullah Al Obaidli*
During one of my visits to the Frankfurt Book Fair, I was seated outside a döner restaurant overlooking the banks of the River Main when three young German men asked if they might join me. As our conversation unfolded, they learned that I was from the United Arab Emirates.
One of them mentioned that he had once planned to visit Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, only for his partner’s expired passport to prevent the trip. When I introduced myself, he smiled and said, “What a beautiful coincidence.” I invited him to visit the mosque and offered to arrange a private tour.
That moment, unfolding far from home, was not merely a pleasant encounter. It was a sign that the mosque had become a global symbol, recalled whenever the UAE is mentioned, much like the world’s great landmarks. It confirmed that the mosque’s message had travelled beyond geography and found its way into people’s hearts.
In every lecture I have delivered, I would ask the audience whether they had visited the mosque. Hands would rise, again and again, followed by words of admiration.
Yet the moment that has remained most vivid in my memory came during a lecture I gave at Moscow State University. That day, I did not ask my usual question, assuming that, as young university students, many may not yet have travelled widely. But when the moderator asked whether they had visited Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, most of them raised their hands.
Such reach does not happen by chance. It was the fruit of a clear vision by the UAE’s leadership: to tell the UAE’s story at home and abroad with confidence and generosity, and to show that the mosque, while remaining a place of worship, has also become a cultural centre with a global presence.
I am reminded here of a conversation I had with an official from a neighbouring Arab country at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre’s stand during the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. He spoke with admiration of the mosque and of the messages it conveys, noting that the UAE had brought this great edifice to life through events and programmes that gave it a distinctive place among houses of worship.
Through the thoughtful use of soft power, the Centre has succeeded in transforming the mosque into a leading global cultural destination. Its presence now extends to four international museums and more than twenty-four UAE embassies around the world, through models of the mosque and accompanying photo exhibitions.
The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may his soul rest in peace, wanted the mosque to be a space for dialogue and humanity, and a centre that reflects the authentic values of Islam: tolerance, mercy, and peace. In its design, the cultures of the world meet, so that every visitor feels a sense of belonging to the place.
Guided by this vision, the UAE’s wise leadership has opened the mosque’s doors to guests of different cultures and backgrounds, inviting them to listen, reflect, and encounter a civilisational message that brings people together in a spirit of love and respect.
*Dr Yousef Abdullah Al Obaidli is an Emirati researcher.
