Is it true that the Catholic Church in Dubai was built by the Emir? – Project FactCheck Nigeria

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has claimed the Catholic Church in Dubai was built by the Emir of Dubai.

Obi made this claim during his speech at the Obi/Datti presidential campaign rally in Kano state on January 23, 2023.

“…let them not tell you about religion, they have said it for several years. Muslims are becoming poor, Christians are poor and they are telling you about religion, this election is not about religion… If you go to Dubai, the Catholic Church there is built by the Emir of Dubai and he is a Muslim. So why are they dividing us here….” Obi said during the campaign.

This claim is True, here are the reasons:

Our research showed that there are two (2) Catholic churches in Dubai – St. Mary’s Catholic Church and St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church as shown on a website having complete guides on Christian churches in Dubai.

Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), known as a tourist destination for people all over the world.

Another finding took us to a Gulf News article published in April 2017 which said that St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Dubai, was founded by Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emir of Dubai, in 1966 when he donated land for the construction of the church.

It further said that Shaikh Rashid himself inaugurated the church on April 7, 1967.