Abu Dhabi: The UAE remains in the forefront of efforts aimed at achieving interaction among all religions and promoting values of tolerance, love and peace across the world, a senior official said yesterday.
“Tolerance, mutual respect and cooperation are key value[s] of the UAE — a nation keenly interested in building humankind, creating harmony among different segment[s] of society,” Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance, told a two-day religious dialogue between the Muslim Council of Elders and the Anglican Church, held in Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday.
Shaikha Lubna said the national tolerance programme was based on Islam, the UAE Constitution, the legacy of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, and the country’s ethics, international conventions, archaeology and history, humanity and common values.
The programme involves collaborating with federal and local entities under five main themes.
These are strengthening the government’s role as an “incubator” of tolerance, consolidating the family’s role in nation building, promoting tolerance among youth and steering them away from extremism, enriching scientific and cultural content, and integrating international efforts to promote tolerance.
The programme set up a Council of Tolerance, which will develop policies to promote tolerance locally, regionally and internationally.
Organisations would be encouraged to support tolerance through a Tolerance Responsibility Programme for Organisations, which the Cabinet described as one of the first of its kind worldwide.
The most obvious example of religious tolerance in the UAE is the fact that it is home to over 200 nationalities and 40 churches, a Sikh temple, and two Hindu temples — substantially more centres of worship of other faiths than all other GCC countries combined.
A UAE Charter of Tolerance, Coexistence and Peace will also be set up, promoting respect for cultural diversity and rejecting violence, extremism and racism.
The programme also established a UAE Tolerance Centre, which will provide scientific and cultural content on tolerance and practices related to people’s daily lives.
The UAE’s tolerance strategy also includes the Hedayah Institute, which is on the front lines of combating extreme religious violence; the government’s commitment to interfaith dialogue; and investment in key academic institutions and scholars committed to promoting moderate and responsible Islam.
While appointing Shaikha Lubna as the Minister of State for Tolerance, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said the new position would have a person who “will instill tolerance as a fundamental value of society”.
Earlier, the UAE also passed an anti-discriminatory law which forbids citizens and residents alike from discriminating against anyone on the grounds of caste, creed, culture or religion.
