UAE residents have been urged to take a pledge to uphold the country's principles of tolerance.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, launched the Zayed Tolerance Pledge campaign, which aims to consolidate the values of co-existence established by the Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed.
"Let us pledge to promote Zayed's values of tolerance in our society," tweeted Sheikh Abdullah, also Chairman of the Supreme National Committee for Tolerance.
His post on Twitter included a video of Special Olympics athletes.
As part of the campaign, an open call is extended to the public to record and tweet videos of them reciting the pledge using the hashtag #ZayedTolerancePledge.
Organisers have encouraged people to record the video in one of several languages.
The first video, showing viewers the pledge, features athletes from across the Special Olympics sports, from the martial arts and swimming to table tennis and track.
The Year of Tolerance has been marked by Pope Francis's landmark visit to the country in February – the first time a pontiff has been to the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam – and the Special Olympics games, a celebration of determination over disability.
The Zayed Tolerance Pledge is intended to promote solidarity within the community and fosters peaceful cultural dialogue between the UAE and the rest of the world, to promote diversity and pluralism.
لنتعهد بتعزيز قيم زايد للتسامح في مجتمعنا#تعهد_زايد_للتسامحhttps://t.co/U1ZA3Z317K
— عبدالله بن زايد (@ABZayed) March 17, 2019
Sheikh Abdullah invited all parts of society, including schools, universities and institutions across the UAE, to take part in the campaign.
