For tolerance we stand

Reading through the news, I have enjoyed the coverage of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s state visit to the UK by all leading news agencies. Pictures of the UAE flag in the streets of London, among images of Shaikh Khalifa and Queen Elizabeth, filled my heart with joy. This is a very exciting visit for us Emiratis since the last official one took place when the late founding father, Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, visited UK in 1989. The UAE and the UK have a mutually beneficial relationship in many areas including defence, security and trade.

The news I have been reading ranged from official agencies to blogs and Twitter feeds. These also covered other matters of concern that I personally found alarming. Some of these concerns that coincide with the visit focused on the three Britons who have been found guilty of possessing synthetic cannabis in Dubai. The concern was centred around the claims of these Britons being tortured.

At the same time, there was also the country report for the UAE, issued on Human Rights Practices by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour — an arm of the US State Department — on April 19 that was largely shocking and very disappointing. I have read the report in detail and I found it to be unbalanced and biased. The report focuses on certain instances that have been blown out of proportion without a clear understanding of the full picture or providing adequate information on other matters. The UAE has managed to come through great challenges and overcome many issues in the past few years and that was not recognised in the report.

As an Emirati, and I represent many out there, it is quite hard to just let this pass without a comment. I will neither go through the specifics of the claims nor will I cover the unfair report, but I will try to mention our achievements and successes. As a country, we are hosting a multicultural society living in a secure and peaceful environment that enjoys the freedom of religion. Millions of people choose the UAE as a destination to work and live in. The UAE provides all these millions with adequate education and health care systems. Many of these millions consider the UAE a home.

The UAE is a tolerant country and people who live in the country realise this everyday. Tolerance is about respecting, accepting and appreciating the diversity that makes each individual unique in his or her own way. Tolerance is about understanding the differences in heterogenous cultures in the UAE and embracing them.

General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has installed a sculpture in front of the offices of his diwan in Abu Dhabi that spells out the word ‘tolerance’. The sculpture consists of nine monumental letters made of bronze in different shapes. I remember being intrigued enough by it to park nearby to take a closer look. A book is positioned next to the sculpture with a brief description in different languages. I was evoked by varying emotions when looking at the details of each letter in the sculpture. There were people represented in each of those, some which looked like wise men, worshippers, a woman and some that looked like pilgrims. The one overwhelming feeling I experienced was that of unity. Different people with varying backgrounds, different genders and diverse ethnicity united in harmony to make up the word — TOLERANCE.

I researched it further and found that a French artist, Guy Ferrer, had created the sculpture. Ferrer envisioned making a total of eight sculptures to be strategically located in key international cities to promote respect and inspire peace. The first sculpture was installed in Paris and the second was bought by Shaikh Mohammad as a gift to the nation. It is located here in the capital — Abu Dhabi.

Having the sculpture located at the gates of the Crown Prince’s Court is a strong statement. It is a reflection of a value that needs to be extended to all citizens, residents and visitors starting from the heart of his office in Abu Dhabi. Shaikh Zayed had demonstrated love, peace and tolerance and had worked on spreading it to the rest of humanity.

Despite all the reports and the alleged claims, we have overcome many challenges in a short period of time. We have showcased to the world constantly that we stand strong for our values and we continue to develop and make further changes at a pace that is right for us. We understand our needs and goals better than anyone else. We understand the gaps that we need to fill and we will do so in due course.

In times when the UAE’s policies and laws are being scrutinised by some, the sculpture of tolerance stands tall, emphasising the fact that no matter what is being said and communicated, the UAE still remains tolerant.

Citizens and residents alike have the duty to spread the truth about the UAE because it has provided us with so much that we are being envied. As majority of the world is clambering in the darkness of feuds, the UAE continues to be the light that illuminates the space around humanity. We must stand strong, holding the torch of truth high. We need to continue to inspire the rest of the world.

Shaikha Al Maskari is an Emirati writer from Abu Dhabi. You can follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/uaeyah