Abu Dhabi: Lt General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, on Monday opened the 2018 Tolerance Conference, which is being held under the theme of ‘explore tolerance, moderation, and dialogue when confronting extremism’.
Organised by the Ministry of Interior, the conference is taking place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre ahead of the International Exhibition for National Security and Resilience (ISNR 2018).
Shaikh Saif also launched the ‘UAE, a Land of Tolerance’ initiative by the ministry in cooperation with the National Archives in recognition of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s contributions to the UAE’s development.
He also launched the social media campaign Alamani Zayed (Zayed taught me) to let people express their appreciation and love for the UAE’s Founding Father on social media.
Delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony, Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, said Islamic teachings advocate tolerance and peaceful coexistence and that the UAE has followed them to be nation of peace and progress.
“Tolerance has enriched our long history and our identity. It has enhanced our self-confidence and pride about our civilisation, and our ability to interact with the rest of the world,” he said.
Shaikh Nahyan said the UAE has been practising tolerance without compromising society’s identity, beliefs and faith.
“UAE society has tackled violent extremism and fanaticism very effectively. A tolerant community will be successful community, achieving excellence in all aspects of life.
“As the world has become a small village [thanks to technological and communication advancements], most of the people share both common opportunities and risks. The conference is a venue to identify such opportunities and utilise them with creative thinking and proper strategies; and tackle the risks and threats collectively.
“As minister of tolerance, I have to focus on the risks such as extremism, violence and terrorism. Violence and terrorism affect peace and security in most part of the world. The terrorists build their philosophy based on economic, political and religious ideologies to justify their misdeeds. However, the world rejects violence, extremism and destructive thinking.
“This conference focuses on the means to get rid of terrorism and achieve progress and development. Tolerant communities will be happy communities. As the world population is very diverse and people have to live with that diversity, the UAE’s successful experience of peaceful coexistence of more than 200 nationalities can be a model.
“As the UAE commemorates the Year of Zayed, it is an occasion to remember the great leader’s [Shaikh Zayed] values. He advocated for peace and dialogue between communities and faiths, and shunned hatred and violence, Shaikh Nahyan said.
Injustice and culture of hatred cause extremism, expert says
Injustice and a culture of hatred cause extremism in the region, an expert said at the conference of tolerance, moderation and dialogue in countering extremism, organised by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) in Abu Dhabi.
“In some Arab countries dictatorship and injustice cause extremism [which has to be solved by the government]. But it is the responsibility of common people to tackle the culture of hatred,” said Mohammad Habash, a Syrian Islamic scholar and writer, at the first session of the conference titled ‘Investing in education to promote values of tolerance and dialogue concepts’.
Maqsoud Kruse , executive director of Hedayah, said different factors contribute to a person’s transformation into extremism. Psychology, sociology, history, and all play a role…”It is a multidimensional phenomenon. Therefore, it is very important how we devise to tackle it and how we promote tolerance,” he said.
Kruse said the innovative measures are needed to tackle extremism.
— Binsal Abdul Kader, Senior Reporter
