Worshippers will be warned of the devastating impact of drug abuse on society during Friday prayers at mosques across the UAE.
This week's prayers will feature a sermon titled The Scourge of Drugs that will highlight the threat posed to the public.
The message comes after the UAE unveiled a nationwide drive to protect young people from the deadly dangers of drug addiction.
The campaign, United as One to Eradicate the Threat, was launched on Wednesday by the National Drug Enforcement Authority.
Sheikh Zayed bin Hamad bin Hamdan, chairman of the authority, said the initiative underlined the need for a united effort to combat drug misuse.
“The fight against drugs is not the responsibility of a single entity, but rather a shared national and civic duty that requires public awareness, solidarity and collaboration. Safeguarding our people is the foundation for any nation’s progress and stability,” Sheikh Zayed said.
The new campaign will focus on raising awareness among families and young people while using schools as a “key partner in educating and nurturing children, and the environment that shapes their awareness, values and behaviours”.
The address at mosques will stress that illegal drugs are a “deadly poison and a devastating affliction” and among the “gravest threats” facing the world.
“Drugs are among the most dangerous forms of poison. How astonishing it is that a person may withhold his wealth from his family and children, yet willingly spend it on that which destroys and ruins him,” the sermon will state.
“They burden his family with hardship and misery, replacing happiness with anxiety, and love with hostility and resentment.”
The sermon will be delivered as the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed around the globe.
UAE's fight against drugs
The UAE established the National Strategy for Combatting Drugs in November 2024, in a major drive to step up enforcement action against criminals and to keep the public safe.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, described drugs as a “societal cancer” and a “scourge” when he announced the anti-drugs strategy.
In 2023, the UAE Cabinet announced a plan to tackle the importation and distribution of drugs.
The project included the National Council Against Drugs, headed by Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.
The council was created to enhance co-operation between international drug enforcement agencies, as well as strengthen ties between local authorities and federal ministries.
Providing earlier means of detection and improving the treatment of addicts were key goals.
Police across the UAE play a critical role in preventing drugs from hitting the streets and by bringing criminals to justice.
Authorities this month made a series of arrests and seized large quantities of illicit drugs after uncovering a criminal network operating across the country.
The National Anti-Narcotics Authority and Ras Al Khaimah Police took action after being alerted to a haul of drugs stored at an unspecified location in the Emirates.
