The Minister of State for Tolerance, Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, last week called for the promotion of the concept of tolerance to counter “a rise in negative rhetoric, discrimination and sectarianism”.
Her remarks, delivered to the Arab Media Forum, covered issues such as cultural exchange as well as religious dialogue, but were, in essence, focused on the need to champion shared human values at a time when they are increasingly under threat.
A few days earlier, I was part of a delegation, led by Sheikha Lubna, to the Vatican, following up on the visits last year both by Sheikha Lubna and by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
Listening, along with thousands of pilgrims, to a homily delivered in St Peter's Square by Pope Francis and having the remarkable opportunity of a private viewing of the glories of the Sistine Chapel were highlights of that recent visit, but there was much more besides.
Among our official engagements were two that reflected the UAE's commitment to the development of deeper links with the Catholic Church.
One was a meeting with the head of the Vatican's historical archives to initiate discussions on potential future collaboration with the UAE's own National Archives. Among documents we were shown were some dating from the 17th century dealing with the interactions that then existed between Rome and the Arabian Gulf. The relationship between the Catholic Church and the UAE is not new, it dates back centuries, even if, at times, it was not altogether harmonious. In the history of that relationship, there are elements from which both sides can learn as we seek to strengthen ties today.
The second meeting was with the president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue. This meeting, coming ahead of the Pope's visit to Egypt and his historic meeting with the leadership of Al Azhar, provided an opportunity to promote mutual understanding and respect.
Addressing this theme, the chairman of the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments, Dr Mohammed Al Kaabi, pointed out that “the UAE has taken rapid steps to consolidate the values of tolerance and to correct misconceptions and misinterpretations regarding tolerance in our revered faith of Islam”.
While dialogue at this level is of enormous value, it will be unable to achieve the desired results unless there is also a reaching out to the public at large, whether to laymen or to clergy.
One important example of that was the visit to Abu Dhabi a few days ago of a group of more than 30 Muslim, Christian and Jewish clergymen from the United States, as part of an American “Caravan for Peace”, for discussions with the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, led by Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah.
One feature of those talks was the need for people of all faiths to be united against the practitioners of terrorism and the preachers of intolerance and hatred, with one Jewish participant later tweeting: “We all built bridges, not walls; [we] learned about love, not hate.”
During his historic address in Egypt a few days ago, Pope Francis said, in part: “We are called to walk together, in the conviction that the future also depends on the encounter of religions and cultures.”
Here in the UAE, as Sheikha Lubna noted last week, the presence of people from close to 200 countries, living together harmoniously, means that "we do have a sound equation for tolerance and peaceful coexistence, and we want to maintain this for future generations”.
A well-known English proverb states that "mighty oaks from little acorns grow". In a world where there is a desperate need for mighty oaks of tolerance, it is reassuring that, here in the UAE, our little acorns are well-rooted and are thriving.
Peter Hellyer is a consultant specialising in the UAE’s history and culture
