The region and the world have benefited from the UAE’s policy of openness
UNIPATH STAFF
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan is a member of the Council of Ministers and has been the Minister of Tolerance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since 2017. He has held many other minister-level posts, including the ministries of higher education and scientific research, education, and culture and knowledge development. His reception hall is always full of city dignitaries, and those who seek his help are from all nationalities and religions. He stands to welcome visitors with all humility without prior knowledge of their backgrounds. He attends a neighborhood mosque and listens to the Friday khutbah among worshipers who are mostly from Asian nations looking for a decent life in the UAE. That illustrates his morality, humility and love for all people. Unipath interviewed Sheikh Nahyan at his compound in Abu Dhabi:
Unipath: How does tolerance in the UAE embody the view of the late founding father, Sheikh Zayed?
Sheikh Nahyan: In the UAE, we take great pride in the fact that the late founding father, Sheikh Zayed, left us an eternal legacy that emphasizes that human beings coming together, mutual respect between them, effective common action, and positive dialogue and communication always lead to good outcomes and prosperity for everyone, and it also contributes to establishing productive relations around the world.
Unipath: Has the UAE launched an initiative to spread cultural tolerance and human fraternity regionally and globally?
Sheikh Nahyan: Thankfully, we are a nation that provides clear evidence on a daily basis of its concern for the growth of human societies and the importance of positive dialogue and communication among everyone, as well as the importance of adopting all the methods and tools necessary to achieve peace, understanding and stability while eliminating extremism, intolerance and radicalism across the globe.
Unipath: Please discuss the nation’s step to designating 2019 as the Year of Tolerance.
Sheikh Nahyan: In the UAE, the Year of Tolerance was proclaimed by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s president, may God protect him. It is an important national initiative that aims to affirm that tolerance — which is considered a significant legacy of the late founding father of the nation Sheikh Zayed — is a sure path to enable the UAE to achieve progress and success in all areas. The Year of Tolerance is also a celebration of the UAE’s pioneering model of coexistence and human fraternity, which includes representatives of all nationalities worldwide who live alongside one another in peace and prosperity. Celebrating the Year of Tolerance also reaffirms that spreading values of tolerance and love in society requires sustained action and efforts. Our celebration of the Year of Tolerance is also an expression of our pride in our Emirati national heritage and global culture, and it is a way of affirming our national identity, including our fundamental values and principles.
Unipath: It is evident that the UAE believes tolerance and respect for others will lead to a cohesive society. Can Your Excellency discuss that?
Sheikh Nahyan: We see tolerance, coexistence and human fraternity as areas for joint action and establishing global and community partnerships to improve everyone’s quality of life. In the UAE, our experience emphasizes the importance of providing universal opportunities so that we all get to know one another, and so we work together for the benefit of society and humanity, without disparity or discrimination. In the UAE, we see tolerance as a rejection of prejudice and violence. We believe tolerance affirms everyone’s rights, male and female alike. Tolerance is a framework in which everyone can function to establish a successful society, and thankfully, by all accounts we see this all clearly in the UAE’s path to success.
Unipath: With regard to the regrettable events that have occurred in the region at the hands of terrorist organizations, how can tolerance combat the ideology on which extremism relies?
Sheikh Nahyan: I always say that a tolerant society, like any human society facing significant challenges, must take heed and confront them with resolve and determination.
One of these important challenges is the phenomenon of extremism, violence and terrorism targeting peaceful populations. There are political, religious, economic or social motives for these despicable acts, which all feed into a subversive ideology that promotes prejudice, intolerance and hostility toward others.
In the UAE, we are fully aware that all sectors of society have a responsibility for combating terrorism, and we are aware of the importance of everyone playing their part in preventing extremism and countering radicalization. What I would like to emphasize is that work to promote tolerance is an integral part of confronting terrorism around the world. Terrorism is an abhorrent phenomenon that threatens global peace, and it requires a huge effort from all people of goodwill in the world.
Unipath: Some media outlets have cast doubt on the Emirates’ initiative and refer to Buddhist statues arriving in Abu Dhabi. How do you respond to the criticism?
Sheikh Nahyan: I would like to wholeheartedly assure you that tolerance in the UAE does not in any way represent a departure from our identity, a disregard for principles and beliefs, nor a separation from history or heritage. Entirely to the contrary, tolerance is an expression of self-confidence, and it embodies our unique history, our ancestral identity and pride in our abilities. It is how, in fact, we came to have an ancient civilization and deep-rooted origins that have always qualified us to be a role model for the world. In the UAE, we are perfectly capable of dealing with others with total confidence: We give and take from one another in a civilized, beneficial and advanced interconnection.
As for the Buddha statues to which you referred, it was part of a celebration of artwork and had no relation to religion or beliefs. I view the presentation of this artwork as an important way to enrich life, reinforcing our sense of national identity and deepening our belonging and allegiance to the nation and the Muslim world.
Unipath: Have you encountered support and partnership from friendly nations in spreading the culture of tolerance?
Sheikh Nahyan: We have received strong support from all regional and international parties for our efforts in the field of tolerance. We exchange views and experiences, and it is grounds for real optimism to find that all countries have a firm conviction that achieving tolerance, by its very nature, is a never-ending process that is ongoing owing to the nature of human societies. We find that achieving coexistence, peace and stability has the approval of friendly nations, and they represent important arenas for cooperation and joint action.
Unipath: What does the visit of Pope Francis and Grand Imam of Al Azhar Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb to the UAE mean for the world?
Sheikh Nahyan: The visit of His Holiness the Pope and His Eminence the Grand Imam, at the gracious invitation of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was by all accounts a historic visit. It emphasized a number of significant developments with regard to establishing meaningful and productive relations among everyone in this world, which is characterized by pluralism and diversity in the makeup of populations everywhere. The visit affirmed that the values of tolerance, dialogue and universal respect, which are championed by human beings everywhere, have been fundamental values in Emirati society for a long time. Therefore, the visit was a powerful call to spread the Emirati model of tolerance and coexistence throughout the world.
I pay tribute to Unipath’s readership, and once more express my happiness at deepening the strong ties of friendship between the United States and the United Arab Emirates. As I stated, these ties are based on mutual respect and on noble humanitarian principles that we share and to which we hold fast for the benefit of humanity.
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