ABU DHABI (WAM): Under the country’s “enlightened leadership, the UAE has committed itself to bridging the gaps that separate people of different faiths,” Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, said last night.
He was speaking at a service to re-dedicate St. Andrew’s Church in Abu Dhabi, which has recently completed a major refurbishment programme.
Conveying to the congregation the greetings and best wishes of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Shaikh Nahyan added that “with his clear guidance, we in the UAE endeavour to promote tolerance and respect of all people regardless of their cultures or religions. We firmly believe that the most successful society is one in which all people have the opportunity to reach their full potential as human beings,” he said. “That opportunity — for all to realise their hopes and dreams, their skills and talents — is the most compelling measure of progress in a society.”
“All of us who live and work in Abu Dhabi and the UAE are inspired by the wise leadership of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed,” Shaikh Nahyan told the congregation. “His attitude towards the world’s various cultures is a key element in the vision of the UAE itself. That vision is a global vision because our country is a global society. As a result of this enlightened vision, the UAE has produced unparalleled economic growth, accompanied by social and political stability, with constantly broadening opportunities for our country’s citizens and residents. That global vision is clearly evident this evening as you dedicate this new building and express your pride in Shaikh Mohammad’s support of your community, and of his role in making this new building a reality, a place of worship, and a major community asset.”
The Minister went on to praise the diversity of the UAE’s population, adding that this was a source of strength to the country.
“In the UAE, our resident population is a mixture of nationalities, ethnicities, religions, languages, and cultures. Such diversity does not threaten our traditional Arab culture. On the contrary, we gain strength with the opportunity to show to the world the best of our culture. We have in effect erected a huge Arab tent that shelters and welcomes the extraordinarily diverse population of men and women who help to maintain and enrich our global crossroads. We have learned much from you, whom we have welcomed to our country.”
Using the metaphor of bridge-building, Shaikh Nahyan went on to call for a renewal of dialogue between the country’s various faith communities “to further our understanding of each other and to help advance our world bridges [and] enable interaction and productive dialogue. People cannot talk through walls of ignorance and misunderstandings. “We obviously need the conversations that such a bridge would support,” he said. “Less obvious is the gap of silence even when different groups of people might well share similar views on important subjects. When those groups together bridge that gap, the effort could well lead to intellectual discoveries beneficial to both parties — discoveries that would never have occurred without personal interaction and actual dialogue. That effort could also help to build a stronger, more peaceful world.”
The one-hour service was led by Bishop Michael Lewis, the Anglican Bishop in Cyprus and the Gulf, with support from Rev Clive Windebank, Chaplain of St Andrew’s Church from 2003 to 2010, who initiated the rebuilding programme, and the current chaplain, Rev. Canon Andrew Thompson.
The service was attended by Bishop Paul Hinder of the Roman Catholic Church in Abu Dhabi and by pastors of other Christian denominations in the capital, as well as by a number of ambassadors and a large congregation from Abu Dhabi’s Anglican community.
