UNIPATH STAFF
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the United Arab Emirates’ Armed Forces, met in September 2016 with Pope Francis to promote tolerance and understanding among faiths. It marked the highest-level UAE official to ever visit the Vatican.
“We are working together on promoting and enabling peace and stability to prevail throughout the world,” Sheikh Mohammed said. “There is an urgent need to strengthen cooperation between all countries in order to formulate strategies that promote constructive dialogue between cultures.”
Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, said the meeting occurred at a time when all faiths must unite to battle extremist ideologies.
“Pope Francis has reached out to faith leaders of all religions to reject extremism wherever it occurs,” he wrote in a column posted on CNN.com. “The UAE is proud to stand with him. We believe that the ideology and actions of extremists do not represent the core ethos of Islam.”
He wrote about the use of social media to glorify murder and destruction and to prey on the emotions of young people. “We must use every tool available to us to defeat their nihilist ideology of hatred,” he wrote. “In this endeavor, the UAE has acted in collaboration with friends who share our values.”
The UAE established the Sawab Center in Abu Dhabi to counter violence and extremism spread by the misuse of social media.
“The center has already made some significant inroads in targeting young people with messages that counter Daesh propaganda and reveal its true criminal nature and intent.”
He said the UAE’s opposition to terror groups dates back more than two decades, from its participation in multinational coalitions against the Taliban, al-Qaida and Daesh in Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Iraq.
“Our belief in a future defined by human advancement characterizes our approach to development assistance around the world but is best expressed in the society we have created inside the UAE.” he wrote.
Sources: Emirates News Agency-WAM, CNN, 7DAYS