Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) has recently organised a forum titled “Sports, Tolerance and Building Bridges of National and International Cohesion” as part of its efforts to promote the spirit of tolerance in local and international sports and to encourage fair competition, ethical standards and public morals.
The forum, held on the occasion of the International Day for Tolerance on November 16, was in accordance with the directives of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Presidential Court and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, to promote sports culture and reject violence and discrimination in the world of sports.
Cultural pluralism
Yasser Galal Darwish, senior chief prosecutor at Abu Dhabi Appeal Prosecution, said: The UAE is an incubator for the values of tolerance, peace, security and cultural pluralism, with its laws guaranteeing justice, respect and equality for all and criminalising all forms of hate and intolerance.”
“It is also a key partner in several international agreements and treaties calling for the rejection of violence, extremism and discrimination, and has become an international meeting point for Eastern and Western civilisations, promoting peace and closeness between all peoples,” he added.
Combating intolerance
Addressing fanaticism in sports and its expressions in social media, Darwish stressed the importance of treating this phenomenon by inculcating in children – from an early age – the concepts of coexistence, tolerance, human rights and co-existence.
He highlighted combating intolerance and violence is underscored under Federal Decree Law No. 2 of 2015 on Combating Discrimination and Hatred, which aims to enrich a culture of global tolerance and address manifestations of discrimination and racism, whether ethnic, religious or cultural in nature.
Enshrined in UAE Constitution
Meanwhile, Kaletham Obaid Al Matrooshi, member of the National Human Rights Institution, spoke about the values of tolerance enshrined in the UAE Constitution, which has been supplemented with numerous laws to ensure the nourishment of a culture of tolerance and to achieve peaceful co-existence and sustainable development.
She noted different religions and cultures are part of the overall system of diversity, as is the case with clubs and their specialisations, competitions and sports events .
Al Matrooshi underlined: “The aim of tolerance in sport is to promote a culture of peace, harmony and mutual respect in this sector.”
