It is time that moderates from different cultures and religions pool their energies and start making their own, more constructive noise. This would be the greatest realization of human fraternity.
UAE a sublime standard for tolerance
15 Mar 2021 The UAE established the Abrahamic Family House, which will be a beacon of mutual understanding among people of faith and goodwill. 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.
By Ursula Aruma of Sri Sathya Sai International Organisation
Pope Francis celebrated the International Day of Human Fraternity on Thursday, 4 February, in a virtual event hosted by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Also participating were the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb; Secretary General António Guterres of the United Nations; and other personalities.
This occasion is a new International Observance of the United Nations.
On the same occasion, the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, which is inspired by the Human Fraternity Document, is awarded.
The date is no coincidence.
On 4 February 2019, during a visit to the United Arab Emirates, the Pope and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar (Cairo), Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, signed the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.
Abu Dhabi: The UAE has long maintained a sense of harmony between its various communities, allowing each to stay true to its cultural and religious roots.
The value of tolerance was enshrined by the UAE’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Half a century after the country was formed, the emirate Sheikh Zayed not only has many well-loved mosques, including the iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, but also a number of places of worship for non-Muslim communities.
Places of worship
A total of 18 churches are prominent places of gathering and worship for their respective communities in Abu Dhabi. The UAE’s first Hindu temple is also currently under construction at Abu Dhabi’s Abu Mureikhah area.