Encounters of the Interfaith Kind in the United Arab Emirates
Published: June 16, 2026
As Co-Founder and Director of Root Source, a platform that enables pro-Israel Christians and Jews to engage with one another, I was invited to participate in the Jerusalem Interfaith Field and Center, a network of approximately 50 Israel-based organizations involved in interfaith activity.
Most of the participating organizations focus on Jewish-Arab or Jewish-Muslim relations. While I do participate in those activities from time to time, Root Source was invited because of our work in Jewish-Christian relations. The program includes monthly Zoom meetings, periodic face-to-face gatherings in Israel, and opportunities to participate in international events.
Most significantly, our group was invited to attend an international conference for interfaith activists in the United Arab Emirates, held in Abu Dhabi the first week in June. I immediately jumped at the opportunity. The experience included fascinating meetings, meaningful encounters, and the chance to deepen relationships with members of the Jerusalem Interfaith Field as well as many new contacts from around the world.
Upon arriving in the UAE, we visited an impressive private museum dedicated to world cultures, with a special focus on Israeli culture. Particularly noteworthy was an entire room devoted to Holocaust remembrance. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only Holocaust museum in the Arab world. As Root Source has recently begun working in Holocaust education through our We Must Not Forget initiative, I was especially interested in exploring potential areas of cooperation.
The following morning, we met with two expatriate Iranians who spoke about the significant influence of the Iranian community in the UAE. If I recall correctly, the UAE has roughly ten million residents, of whom approximately nine million are not citizens. According to our speakers, a substantial percentage of Emirati citizens have Iranian roots. Given Iran's geographic proximity to the UAE, this is a fascinating phenomenon.
These speakers represented the kind of warm and friendly Iranian people that Israelis look forward to befriending openly when, not if, the current authoritarian regime of the ayatollahs is replaced and the Iranian people are once again able to determine their own future.
From there, we met with Joseph Hamdi, who was introduced to us as the last Jew of Houthi-controlled Yemen. An Orthodox, Torah-observant Jew raising his children in the Jewish tradition, he shared his remarkable story with us. He expressed deep gratitude to the leadership of the UAE, whose intervention enabled him and his family to leave Yemen and establish a new life in the Emirates.
I was also pleased to reconnect with Pastor Larry Huch during lunch, who was invited to visit the UAE for the first time. We had met previously, and this was a welcome opportunity to renew our relationship.
After lunch, we visited the palace complex used for receiving distinguished guests. The scale and grandeur of the site were truly impressive.
Employing a bit of Israeli chutzpah, I asked if I might venture beyond the designated visitor areas. To my surprise, I was welcomed into the Kasr El Watan National Library, where I had the privilege of meeting and being guided by the library's director. It was a memorable and impressive experience.
Throughout our travels, we encountered some of the most striking architecture I have ever seen. Less than a century ago, much of what is now the UAE was desert. Today, Abu Dhabi and Dubai feature skylines that rival those of the world's great cities. The skyscrapers and ambitious architectural projects are genuinely breathtaking.
That evening, we attended a special meeting with Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Defense and National Council Committee of the UAE Federal National Council. He spoke passionately about the importance of engaging with people who are different from ourselves and building relationships across cultural and religious divides. His message resonated strongly with me. These were, in many ways, my kind of people.
The next morning, we attended the event that had brought us to the UAE: the Third International Dialogue of Civilizations and Tolerance Conference. While many of the presentations and panel discussions were interesting, the most valuable aspect of the conference for me was the opportunity to network.
I met dozens of people during the conference, most of whom I was meeting for the first time. Although many participants came from the UAE, there were also attendees from countries around the world. The diversity of perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds made for a particularly enriching experience.
At the end of the first day of the conference, our delegation was once again hosted by Joseph Hamdi in his home. During that gathering, we were introduced to members of the Amjad Taha group.
Amjad Taha is a highly influential social media activist, and his network includes a number of younger content creators and online advocates. We met with six or seven of them that evening. It was an exhilarating experience to hear their stories, and I believe it was equally exciting for them to hear ours. They were already supportive of Israel before we met, but I think our conversations strengthened those positive feelings even further.
Later that evening, we visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, an immense and magnificent complex. It was a moving experience to stand within such an impressive spiritual setting. I believe many members of our Jewish-Israeli delegation would agree that seeing such a monumental house of worship naturally led our thoughts to Jerusalem and the Temple that stood there, the Beit Hamikdash, the house of prayer for all nations.
Following the final day of the conference, we were invited, together with other VIP guests and a number of ambassadors serving in the UAE, to a reception at the residence of the Israeli Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. It was a gracious and memorable evening, and a great honor for all of us to attend.
Afterward, we returned to the hotel, rose early the next morning, and headed to the airport in time to return home to Israel before Shabbat.
Altogether, I have been active in interfaith and intercultural engagement for many years. In many ways, that is precisely the purpose of Root Source: creating meaningful relationships between Christians and Jews. At the same time, I sometimes sense that some of my Christian friends feel hesitant or uncomfortable when it comes to engagement with Muslims.
This visit reminded me that while there are certainly differences between our faiths, there are also many people throughout the Muslim world who sincerely desire dialogue, friendship, and mutual understanding. Throughout our visit, I met Muslims from a wide variety of backgrounds who were interested in building bridges and learning from one another. While we do not agree on everything, the experience reinforced my belief that personal relationships can help people better understand one another and create opportunities for cooperation where previously there may have been suspicion or misunderstanding.
If you are reading this report and have had a positive experience engaging with Muslims, I would be very interested in hearing about it. Likewise, if such engagement makes you uncomfortable, I would welcome hearing your thoughts and concerns. Please feel free to share your perspective in the comments.
Shalom,
Gidon Ariel
Co-Founder and Director
Root Source