When it comes to the human condition, few commodities are as valuable as hope. Across the Middle East, after the tumultuous events of these past six years, it is a commodity that seems precious. For the millions who have been displaced internally in Syria, or forced to leave their hopes because of the violence and fighting that their nation’s interminable civil war and bloodshed wrought in opposition to the regime of President Bashar Al Assad — and his bloody determination to cling to power — hope was in short supply.
To the Palestinian people, whether in the Gaza Strip with nowhere to flee as the full might of the Israeli regime unleashed its murderous war machine on the civilian population thrice in the past decade, or in the West Bank and Occupied Territories, where justice was but a notion and oppression a fact of daily life, hope was but the light of a candle dimly glowing in a cold crypt of coercion.
For the civilian population living under the yoke of Daesh (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) in cities and towns across Syria and Iraq, hope was but a belief that one day, the reign of terror might come to an end and that the true meaning and spirit of Islam would prevail over those who use its message to torture, kill and repress.
And in Yemen, hope was the ideal that forged an international coalition of Arab forces to endeavour to restore the legitimate government to its people and eradicate the scourge of Iranian-backed usurpers who would bring that nation to a perilous abyss.
But hope is a commodity with which we in the UAE are blessed to hold in abundance. From the very foundation of this nation, hope has been a cornerstone on which a prosperous and united nation has been built. It is the currency that allowed our dreams to come true, the energy that has sustained us in our march of progress, and the currency with which we seek a bright future.
On Monday, His highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Vice-President and Prime Minster of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, invited Arab community members to become hope makers for this region — open to anyone aged between five and 95. The Arab Hope Maker will work to improve people’s lives and make a difference, helping with charitable and philanthropic endeavours, positively impacting the future. This is the role of a lifetime. And one that will change lives in time.
