'Dubai faced Allah's wrath because it built BAPS Mandir': Pakistani's shocking take on historic floods (WATCH)

First Published Apr 22, 2024, 2:32 PM IST | Last Updated Apr 22, 2024, 2:32 PM IST

In a controversial statement, a Pakistani man has linked the recent historic floods in Dubai to the construction of the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, a Hindu temple, in the neighbouring emirate of Abu Dhabi. This shocking claim comes months after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the temple on February 14th, marking a significant moment in the region's religious landscape.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), known for its arid climate, recently experienced unprecedented rainfall, with the National Center of Meteorology reporting the highest rainfall in 75 years. Scenes of flooding in Dubai, one of the UAE's prominent emirates and the host of COP28 last year, shocked the world as the city grappled with the aftermath of the deluge.

Also read: Dubai floods: Indian Embassy in UAE issues travel advisory for passengers; shares emergency helpline numbers

The Pakistani individual, whose statement gained attention on social media, claimed that Dubai's inundation was a manifestation of divine retribution, attributing it to the construction of the BAPS Mandir, which he referred to as a temple for "idol worshippers" in the "land of idol breakers."

"Dubai faced Allah's wrath in form of rainstorms because they recently built temple for idol worshippers in the land of idol breakers," he shockingly said in a direct reference to the BAPS Mandir in a video that has now gone viral on X, formerly Twitter.

It's worth noting that during his inaugural visit to the UAE in 2015, PM Modi initiated discussions regarding the establishment of a Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi. Subsequently, the UAE government allocated land for the construction of the BAPS temple. Following the temple's inauguration on February 14, PM Modi hailed this development as a "landmark" step and conveyed gratitude to the UAE leadership on behalf of India's 1.3 billion citizens.

"The Government of UAE President has fulfilled a bis wish of crores of India with a large heart. Not just here, they have won the hearts of 140 crore Indians," he had said during his address at the event.

"This temple will become a symbol of communal harmony and global unity for the entire world. UAE's Minister of Tolerance Sheikh Nahyan Al Mubarak is present here, and the views he expressed were actually words describing the strengthening of our dreams," PM Modi had added.

However, the Pakistani individual's interpretation of the recent Dubai floods as a divine punishment has sparked a massive outburst on social media platforms.

Meanwhile, the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) told Khaleej Times that there's a chance of light to moderate rain on Monday evening in UAE. It added that the weather situation is anticipated to improve by Wednesday with a drop by five to seven degrees in temperature.

"There's no need for concern; the current situation doesn't involve heavy rainfall whatsoever. It's not comparable to last week's event. It's not going to be intense; they're rather moderate, with clouds shifting from the western coast towards the UAE," Dr Ahmed Habib, a climate expert from NCM, told the outlet.

"There's a chance of light rain or drizzle. These clouds are headed to Abu Dhabi, resulting in light rainfall, then progressing eastward towards the mountains, where cloud formation could lead to a little over moderate rainfall only in mountainous areas. On Wednesday morning all the cloud cover will move outside the UAE towards Oman," Dr Habib added.

Also read: 'Cloud seeding, climate change or...': Real reason behind Dubai's historic floods REVEALED

Following last week's deluge, scientists attributed the increasingly frequent extreme weather events, including the rains in UAE and Oman, to human-induced global warming.

In the UAE, where rains are rare due to its hot desert climate and temperatures that can exceed 50 degrees Celsius in the summer, the recent downpour came as a stark anomaly.

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