Interfaith dialogue must be the basis for coming together in times of division and as the war in the Middle East drags on, UAE Minister of State, Noura Al Kaabi, told The National on Monday.
Speaking after an interfaith panel focusing on the UAE's Abrahamic Family House at the Paris Peace Forum, Ms Al Kaabi said its mosque, church and synagogue were more than symbols of spiritual rituals – they contribute to creating a sense of community for visitors.
"It's a good seed for the future generation to celebrate our differences and diversity," Ms Al Kaabi said. This comes in contrast with recent polarising events, not only in the Middle East but also in Europe, where political leaders have reacted strongly to alleged attacks by protesters against Israeli football fans in Amsterdam last week, which came after racist, anti-Palestinian chants.
"We’re looking at how in certain elections and sports events, diversity is something that is toxic," Ms Al Kaabi said. "We hope that the UAE will present a model that is – because of our diversity – more peaceful, more enriched."
Ms Al Kaabi warned against the trivialisation of hate speech and its ripple effects on other sectors. "You might understand it, seeing it in political spheres, but I think you don't want to see it in sports and community spheres," she said.
The UAE is working on ridding Islam of a negative reputation acquired after terror attacks spread in the past decades across the globe in the name of religion, said Abdulla Al Shehhi, acting executive director of the Abrahamic Family House.
"Due to the unfortunate desecration of the faith from 20 or 30 years ago to today, Islam is always touted as the intolerant faith, the faith that hates everybody, so it was really important to set the framework whereby Islam is actually a medium or a glue that brings other people together," Mr Al Shehhi told the panel on interfaith innovation. "We try to embody that within the DNA of the Abrahamic Family House through everything that we do."
The Abrahamic Family House is open to everybody, including the estimated 15 per cent of the world population who are non-believers, he said. "Despite all the disruptions, despite everything, we've continued our mission. People need that reassurance – to have that safe space, to be able to come in," he added.
Mr Al Shehhi was speaking alongside Meredith Preston McGhie, secretary general at the Global Centre for Pluralism, and Chris Seiple, principal adviser at Templeton Religion Trust’s covenantal pluralism initiative. "There does remain trust in faith institutions and that must be utilised for the greater good to bridge divides. What I worry about is that we also see this being used for division," Ms McGhie said.
"This is reminder as well that we need to double down on these actions to be deliberate as faith institutions, in individual societies but also globally to demonstrate that you can find shared values in each of these faiths – that there is a bedrock of values that will mirror itself from faith to faith."
The forum, which takes place annually, hosted a number of dedicated sessions on geopolitics, peace and conflicts, the war in Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East and Sudan, and debates on how to revitalise the UN.
Special focus was given to the impact of the US elections on the Middle East and the world. Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and former Palestinian foreign minister Nasser Al Qudwa were given the opportunity to present their peace plan. Mr Olmert told The National that he believed US president-elect Donald Trump would endorse a two-state solution.
The UAE's message for future policy on the region focuses on clarity, said Ms Al Kaabi. "Clarity in terms of a roadmap, clarity in terms of the two-state solution, clarity in terms of how we should look at how to empower our partners to reach a resolution," she added. "I hope an election can solve it, but I think we need more of a collective effort."
