The United Arab Emirates is getting its first chief rabbi. Yehuda Sarna—who is also a Chaplain at NYU—plans to visit 4 times annually. Eager to pursue an interfaith dialogue with the Muslim majority country, he calls it, “the emergence of the first new Jewish community in the Arab world for centuries.”

With all due respect to the Rabbi, he is living in a dream world. The UAE is a notoriously anti-Semitic cesspool that is so vicious towards Jews they refuse to let anyone with an Israeli passport enter the country.

I don’t see how you can build bridges and enjoy open communication with people who have such a narrow and hateful mindset. This is a place that’s famous for Human Rights abuses, where Sharia Law rules, meaning you can be deported for blasphemy against Islam and Apostasy is a CAPITAL offense.

It would be impossible to have a thriving Jewish presence under those conditions. Quite frankly, I think they’re crazy to even try it.

UAE attracts a lot of foreigners who want to work there. Unfortunately, many of them have regretted their decision after finding themselves in terrible and unjust circumstances. There are numerous stories of female visitors being raped and then blamed for the attack; unexplained disappearances; fake criminal charges that resulted in being tortured while in custody; and having to pay exorbitant ransoms for release are just a few examples.

Capitalism is great, but our lives are worth much more! I would never, ever step foot inside the UAE. As a Jewish-American Lady, I find everything they stand for to be repugnant. They have no respect for Western values, no freedom of religion, and definitely no Women’s Rights. It’s an evil place.

The Jews that are there should consider relocating for their own safety. Whatever they think they’re gaining could be taken away by the UAE government in a second. That’s no way to live. With less than 1,500 members, they have no influence and no ability to protect themselves from abuse.

This is why Israel is so important. Before we had our own country, we never had a guarantee of stability. Rather than suffer under the misery of Sharia Law, the Jewish community of the UAE should make Aliyah. They have good intentions, no doubt, but they’re attempting something that can not be—not yesterday, not today, not tomorrow, never. The UAE is not for Jews, period.