Journey of the Union: their faith and the future

Abu Dhabi was Day 5’s venue for the 28 students. There, the powerful combination of Islam at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and science at Masdar City inspired their thoughts, Naser Al Wasmi reports

Students listen to Nawal Al Hosany, the director of sustainability at Masdar and head of the Zayed Future Prize. Lee Hoagland / The National

ABU DHABI // The 28 Emirati students on a tour of the UAE centred themselves in the architectural marvel of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque before moving on to a glimpse of the future at Masdar City and twofour54.

Halfway through their 10-day tour of the UAE, the pupils visited main sites in the capital on Tuesday as they make their way through the emirates as part of the Journey of the Union tour, which concludes on National Day on December 2.

As part of the second leg of their Abu Dhabi tour, students started the day with a visit to the Federal National Council headquarters followed by a trip to twofour54, the media organisation which Ruaa Al Shehhi, 16, from Ras Al Khaimah, dreams of joining.

“The reason why it appeals to me is because the company uses creativity and appreciates originality,” said Ruaa. “It’s something I didn’t think we had, but it’s going to start a new future that I hope to be a part of.”

Compatriot Ahmed Al Bahri listed the many projects that twofour54 is working on. He said it would appeal to him to work in such an enterprise.

“Everything, from their media training to their working on apps for mobiles, it gives us – the youth – a chance to work towards something and get good at it,” said Ahmed, from Dubai.

The pupils then visited Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, marvelling at the 82 domes, ornate with gold inlay, the mosque’s capacity for more than 40,000 worshippers and the interplay of light created by its architecture.

“It doesn’t matter how many times you go, it’s always a place that puts you at such ease. We learnt so much there,” said Maitha Al Fazari, from Al Ain.

Among the things she learnt was that the walls and writing of God’s 99 names in the main prayer room were designed to be understated so as not to divert worshippers’ attention from prayer.

She said that the mosque is both a place to look inward and a chance for tourists to see the religious identity of her country.

“People from all around the world are coming, and they are welcome to see Muslims in prayer in this mosque,” said Maitha.

“This is important, to show them this side of our culture, so that they can understand more about the UAE.”

Before going to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi on Yas Island, they visited Masdar City to get an idea of – and inspiration for – a zero-emissions energy future.

The tour started with a trip on board the city’s personal rapid transit cars, towards a micro-nano fabrication facility and the microscopy lab , which contains more than Dh50 million worth of equipment.

“It puts into your mind the reality of living in a future without dependency on oil, and this is what we really should work for,” said Ali Shawi, from Umm Al Quwain.

Noura Al Attar, 16, from Rak, said that the need for her generation to progress in a sustainable way is a key to her future.

“Eventually, we’re going to run out of fossil fuels. Masdar has such a powerful vision of creating a world without this kind of dependency,” she said.

“It makes me so proud of my country, and absolutely positive about our future, and I hope the vision of Masdar becomes the reality of the UAE.”

The Journey of the Union is organised by Al Bayt Mitwahid Association, which comprises employees of the Crown Prince Court.

It focuses on raising awareness about the achievements and growth of the seven emirates over the past 43 years.