Brief History of Christianity in the UAE
Many people often assume that Christianity has only recently come to the UAE and most of the Gulf. However, there is a long history of Christianity that goes back at least to the 6th century and likely earlier. Andrew Thompson has written an introduction called Christianity in the United Arab Emirates. If you are interested in a more extensive introduction, check it out. This brief intro provides some of the highlights. Let’s thank God for how He has built His church in the UAE, and let’s also pray for more churches to be established.
Archeologists discovered a church and monastery on Sir Bani Yas Island in the 1990s. It dates back to the 7th and 8th century. It is believed to be part of the Church of the East or the Nestorian church. Church council records show churches in Bahrain, Qatar and present-day UAE and Oman. However, in the centuries after the establishment of Islam, the churches slowly disappeared.
In 1506, the Portuguese arrived at Khor Fakkan. They did not arrive peacefully, but landed on the beach and killed women and children and mutilated many. This massacre was known as “deeds of Christians.”
Then in the 1800s, British influence grew in the region as they sought to protect the trade routes with India from pirates. Instead of seeking to colonize the Arab coast, a peace treaty was signed with the Trucial States (included the UAE). This treaty was written by Captain Thomas Perronet Thompson who was a Christian. His faith influenced how he interacted with the local people.
Thompson’s father was a Methodist lay preacher and his mother was connected to John Wesley. He himself knew William Wilberforce and was opposed to the slave trade. Thompson learned Arabic and became a translator. At the time, he was the only British person who could communicate with Arabs. He negotiated with the sheikhs, and then presented the treaty to the general. It was accepted as written in 1820. This treaty opened a formal relationship between Britain and the Gulf States. It also was the first formal treaty to include a denunciation of the slave trade.
Because of his successful work negotiating the treaty, Thompson was given command of the garrison in Ras Al Khaimah. He developed peaceful relations with the people and at times attempted to convert the local leaders.
In 1889 the Arabian Mission was established in the States by John Lansing, Samuel Zwemer and James Cantine. In 1893, Zwemer established posts in Bahrain and Muscat. Bibles were sold, but the focus quickly became medical missions. Hospitals were established in the region and doctors would travel from Bahrain and Muscat to Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi to treat the sick and sell Bibles.
The local people were thankful for the treatments the American doctors brought. They saved many lives from sickness and disease. There is no evidence that any locals converted.
Andrew Thompson attributes the birth of the modern-day church in the UAE to the hospital movement. In the 1950s and 1960s Christian medical hospitals were established in Sharjah, Fujairah and Al Ain. These hospitals were opened and serving people before oil wealth arrived.
Sarah Hosman treated the wife of the sheikh of Ajman. Afterwards she was granted permission to build a hospital where the gospel could be shared. The Sarah Hosman Hospital was opened in the 1950s.
In 1960, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan met Drs. Pat and Marion Kennedy. At the time the infant mortality rate was 50% and the maternal rate was 35% in Al Ain. He invited them to establish a clinic. Oasis Hospital opened its doors in November of 1960.
Sheikh Zayed is known as “The Father of the Nation.” He was the ruler of Abu Dhabi and the first President of the United Arab Emirates. He established religious tolerance in the country.
Sheikh Zayed attended the dedication of St. Andrew’s Church in Abu Dhabi in 1968. The Roman Catholic Church made him a papal knight in 1972 for his help to the Roman Catholic Church in the UAE. Today, 50 years after the founding of the United Arab Emirates, there are 36 church buildings throughout the UAE.
In Dubai and other Arab States, oil also helped with the establishment of Christian ministry and churches. There were many expats coming into the region who were looking to attend churches. In 1962, a small fellowship of expat oil and gas workers formed United Christian Church of Dubai. In 1970 Holy Trinity Church was dedicated in Dubai. It was an interdenominational church building that was and is used by many different denominations.
The United Christian Church of Dubai and the Arab Evangelical Church of Dubai were granted land in 1997 to build the Dubai Evangelical Church Centre which opened in 2003. Today many evangelical churches are hosted in the building. There are English speaking congregations with members from dozens of nationalities as well as churches that speak a variety of other languages.
Prayer Requests:
Praise God for His faithfulness to build His kingdom in the United Arab Emirates.
Pray for the leaders of the UAE to grant permission for more churches to be formed and more church buildings to be built.
Pray for God to turn the hearts of Emiratis to follow Jesus. Pray Emirati led churches will be formed in every emirate.