CAIRO: The late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the other founding fathers of the UAE sought to establish social justice and respect of human rights as the cornerstone of national state-building, protection of the social fabric, Shaikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of State for Tolerance, said yesterday.

The UAE’s founding fathers also sought to sustain peace, security, stability and prosperity to serve all people regardless of faith, colour, gender, origin or social status, she added.

The UAE spares no efforts to make exceptional contributions to serve humanity because it honours its national and international responsibilities, she said in a speech delivered at the international Freedom and Citizenship conference, organised by Al Azhar University and the Muslim Council of Elders.

This, she stressed, is being driven by directives from President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan; His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Their Highnesses the Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the Emirates.

“Working together to expand participation in the public sphere and embody freedom, by practice and through respect of diversity, does require taking relevant measures in the legislative, legal, religious, cultural and media spheres. The goal is to establish Arab and Muslim society as an oasis of peace and fraternity, beacons for tolerance and harmony, and incubators for coexistence, love and solidarity,” Shaikha Lubna added.

She highlighted achievements made by the UAE in fighting discrimination, hatred and sectarian strife, pre-empting deviant ideology and fanaticism, while promoting happiness and prosperity for all.

She cited the anti-discrimination law, enacted by the UAE in 2015 to criminalise all forms of discrimination on the grounds of religion, caste, creed, doctrine, race, colour or ethnic origin and acts that stoke religious hatred.

True citizenship, national unity and coexistence cannot be achieved without taking such measures in all spheres at all levels, Shaikha Lubna said.