Social media had a busy week. It marked the UAE Year of Tolerance and Catriona Gray from Philippines who won the Miss Universe crown. Awards were also in focus with the 2019 Oscars’ buzz. On a sombre note, social media users marked the fourth anniversary of the Army Public School Peshawar attack in Pakistan.
UAE Year of Tolerance
President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan declared on December 15, that 2019 would be celebrated as the Year of Tolerance. Social media users were full of praise for the announcement, while sharing their views of UAE as a nation of co-existence, diversity and tolerance.
@smith26_ryan: "United Arab Emirates is open to all cultures, religions and people from all fields of life. Tolerance is a characteristic of an advanced society and you can’t deny #UAE is one. 2019 is going to be #YearofTolerance."
#APSMartyrs Remembered
Social media users from Pakistan came together in solidarity on Sunday to mourn the loss of the lives in the Army Public School attack, in Peshawar on December 16, 2014. This being the fourth year after the attack by Taliban militants, sentiments expressed online remained strong, ranging from grief to anger.
@PervezKhattakPK: "16th December always brings back the saddest memories, that agony is beyond words. Will never forgive, will never forget. #APS16DEC2014 #APSMartyrs"
Queen of Hearts
Miss Philippines Catriona Gray was crowned Miss Universe this week, becoming the 67th individual and 4th Filipina to hold the title. A highlight on social media was the story of Catriona’s mother dreaming when she was 13, that she would win the title in a red dress, which came to pass.
Arabic Language Day celebrated
On the 45th anniversary of Unesco declaring Arabic as an official language, the UAE celebrated UN Arabic Language Day on December 18. The language spoken by over 310 million people, was trending on social media with several Arabic-speaking users posting facts about the language and why it is important.
@Abd13tamimi: December 18th marks as the International Arabic Day, 422 million people speak Arabic around the globe. 2018 #ArabicLanguageDay
A Gold Rush begins
#Oscars2019 has begun buzzing as the Academy released several nominee shortlists in the past week. The Academy Award Ceremony is to be held in February 2019. With several unexpected nominations including superhero movies such as Avengers: Infinity War and romantic comedies, social media users were thrilled to see the Academy become more inclusive of different genres.
@RosesForAyden: A Star Is Born and Crazy Rich Asians are in the running for Oscars! #Oscars2019 @TheAcademy
