UAE a sublime standard for tolerance

The praise from Arab Parliament Speaker Adel Abdulrahman Al-Asoomi for the UAE’s culture of forbearance is heartening, to say the least.

The nation promotes dialogue, coexistence, acceptance and tolerance, and embraces and promotes the Document of Human Fraternity, signed two years ago by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and His Holiness, Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church. Addressing the opening session of the 31st Conference of Egypt’s Supreme Council For Islamic Affairs in Cairo, Al-Asoomi said that the document has inaugurated a new phase of cooperation and convergence between the followers of different religions.

The problem is that there is a growing breed of people across the world who will not tolerate anything or anyone who goes against their creed, philosophy or line of thinking.

Their sentiments unleashed have hardened a new set of moral attitudes and political commitments to the detriment of open debate, and allowed ideological conformity to erode tolerance of differences. In such a situation, enhancing the language of dialogue between different religions and cultures, and spreading the culture of acquaintance, is not only the responsibility of religious institutions, but, rather, a participatory responsibility that requires the integration of efforts of all institutions to achieve the goal that we are aspiring for at the end, which is to uphold the values of coexistence and tolerance among human beings, and to build bridges of understanding and brotherhood among all.

Dr Mohammad Mattar Al Kaabi, Chairman of the UAE General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments, stressed that if the followers of the monotheistic religions are saturated with the values of faith and adhere to their moral and cultural commonality, they will be makers of peace, prosperity and the pillars of cohesion and stability. He noted that the UAE government has adopted a comprehensive strategy to promote common human values within government initiatives that institutionalise the tolerant culture rooted in the Emirati personality.

The UAE has supported its initiatives by introducing relevant legislation and laws. It established the first Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence in 2016, and issued the first law protecting the values of tolerance, respecting places of worship, freedom of beliefs and criminalising action leading to hatred, stirring sectarianism, and prejudice to religious sanctities,’’ he added. These efforts, he said, culminated in the UAE hosting, sponsoring and adopting the ‘’Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” signed by His Eminence, Dr. Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and His Holiness, Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, during the Global Conference of Human Fraternity two years ago.

The UAE, he continued, established the Abrahamic Family House, which will be a beacon of mutual understanding, harmonious coexistence and peace among people of faith and goodwill. It consists of a mosque, church, synagogue and educational center to be built on Saadiyat Island, the cultural heart of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Through its design, it captures the values shared between Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and also serves as a powerful platform for inspiring and nurturing understanding and acceptance between people of goodwill.

This year, for the very first time, the UN celebrated the International Day of Human Fraternity on February 4, providing an opportunity to highlight the principles and values included in the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” and explore good practices towards its implementation as a pathway to the future, as we rebuild a better world.

Al Kaabi called for the institutions participating in the conference to adopt an educational strategy through religious and media platforms, seminars and events aimed at raising awareness about common human values.