Sri Lanka, Feb. 20 -- Indian Premier Modi with the priests at the

Abu Dhabi Temple

Due to the demographic changes brought about by economic growth, the Islamic United Arab Emirates (UAE) is beginning to shed its traditional objection to the public practice of other religions, especially idol worship.

On February 14, Abu Dhabi heralded a new era of religious accommodation by allowing Hindus, a very large community of expatriates from India, to build a grand temple. Significantly, the land for it was donated by the UAE government. This could well be a harbinger of religious tolerance in Muslim-majority West Asia.

A few Hindu temples had come up in the past, with one even dating back to 1817, but the newest and the grandest of them all i...