Abu Dhabi: A Facebook post by an Emirati couple about Christmas in the UAE has gone viral, with the video receiving over 5 million views since it was posted on Friday.
Created by Khalid Al Ameri and his wife Salama, the video’s main message centres on the theme of tolerance in the UAE, with the video highlighting how Christmas is openly celebrated in the UAE — a Muslim country.
“I always wanted to do something that shows our part of the world in the best light. The good part of things usually gets overshadowed by the bad news and so I felt that it was just a beautiful time to share how good things are in some parts of the world,” said Al Ameri.
“We face a lot of challenges, but there is still a lot of positivity happening in our region, and the more we highlight it the more hope it gives people that things can get better, and there’s no better way of moving forward than with tolerance,” he added.
Visually capturing the spirit of tolerance in the UAE, the video shows how the Mary Mother of Jesus Mosque in Abu Dhabi is located close to at least four churches. “We have a mosque that is called the Mary Mother of Jesus Mosque and it is in an area right beside four churches, that sends a very powerful message of tolerance and coexistence between the different communities.
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“It’s also very important to point out that it wouldn’t have been possible to make such a video without a leadership and government making tolerance a priority. We have a Minister of Tolerance and a Minister of Happiness, so all of these things have been put in place to bring people together and to highlight our similarities,” he added.
“I’m personally really proud to have seen the video being shared by UAE embassies around the world, like the UAE embassy in the US and Brazil,” he said. Al Ameri said the feedback has also been very positive so far, with viewers from around the world watching the video.
“I look at the comments and there’s been a lot of positivity, a lot of people have been like wow I didn’t know about this, so it’s really good to show people around the world about how we live here and what it’s really like. When I read comments saying that this is what true Islam is what Muslims are really about, it warms my heart.
“For me to see a video that’s all about tolerance, understanding and love going viral and getting more than 100,000 shares shows that many people still want to find and share the good in this world,” he added.
“We as the people who live in this part of the world cannot be silent anymore, it’s not an option for us, we need to share positive stories about this part of the world, and to put these stories out there in a way for people to engage with,” he said.
