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UAE is the epitome of tolerance and peace

The UAE potentially stands as a catalyst of tolerance across the region and brings about a new age of enlightenment

The UAE has been an ambassador of peace and it implements the same among its residents. This was further affirmed when the nation marked 2019 as the 'Year of Tolerance' as the country gets positioned as a role-model for inter-faith harmony and pluralism.
Among these initiatives is 'Tolerance Talks 2019', a series of seminars that feature distinguished leaders, notably Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, to highlight the noble ideals and message of tolerance the UAE seeks to convey to the rest of the world.
The upcoming Shilanyas (foundation stone laying ceremony) of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Sanstha Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi is certainly a milestone in the UAE's tradition of tolerance and a testimony to its exemplary track record as a land of multi-culturalism, racial harmony and peaceful co-existence. Further arrival of Pope Francis in February 2019 was another example of tolerance in diversity among the residents. 
Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas, President, Institute of Management Services, Leader, OSLJ International Governance Initiative Director-General, UK and Europe, Institute of Directors (India), Distinguished Professor and President, Council of International Advisers, SriSIIM, said: "Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan should be applauded and supported for his championing of tolerance in his Ministerial role. The UAE has a long history of being open to goods. Markets for a variety of commodities have been established. Greater tolerance can lead to more vibrant discussion and debate. It could result in the UAE gaining a similar reputation for excellence in the exchange of ideas."
Further, Professor Thomas opines that great centres of learning and unrivalled depositories of different areas of knowledge used to reside in the MENA region. Thinkers in diverse fields, including observers of the night skies, came together to push out the boundaries of our understanding.  Tackling some of the major challenges facing mankind requires more than incremental change. The UAE could be a catalyst of tolerance across the region and bring about a new age of enlightenment. 
"Perhaps the only thing one should be intolerant of is intolerance itself. Intolerance divides. It creates barriers. It can make people who are 'different' to an acceptable 'norm' feel that they are 'outsiders'.  Intolerance restricts and limits. It puts people under pressure to conform and play the game.

"For many people, it represents a clear message, 'however hard you work and whatever you achieve, you can never become one of us'. Tolerance is welcoming. It can build bridges between communities, classes, races and religions. It encourages mutual respect of different opinions and viewpoints.
It can encourage people to aspire and to dream. Tolerance can unite rather than divide. It encourages people to focus on what they have in common rather than upon where they differ," added Professor Thomas.
"Tolerance sends out a message of welcome to global citizens. It suggests a freedom to explore, pioneer and discover that may not be found in other parts of the world. It could bring together restless spirits and usher in a new era of progress in fields such as water management and coping with climate change."
Echoing a positive view on tolerance, Prof. Ximena Cordova, Chair of Social Sciences, Zayed University, said: "A number of powerful nations around the world are becoming inward-looking, from the US to India. It is becoming rarer for countries to be looking outwards, but for a country to look at its own diversity in celebration and admiration - this deserves praise. The UAE emerges as an island of multiculturalism and tolerance, not only for the region, but for the world as a whole.
"We are not just tolerant of each other here, we actively celebrate and thrive in our diversity: we mostly communicate through a borrowed language (be it English or Arabic) that we all don't speak perfectly well, we work with international colleagues and their different ways - yet we learn from each other, we build bridges, we embrace this. We offer each other warm words over Diwali, Eid and Christmas.

We are united in having to constantly adapt to each other, and this may get tense at times, but living where we live, where respect and tolerance are constantly encouraged, it leads to a sense of wonder. The wonder at being human in so many different ways."
So what message does such a society give out to a global citizen today where we live in a world, which is beyond boundaries? Cordova, said: "I would not say we live in a world beyond boundaries today, less centred on geographical or cultural barriers. Instead, we are differentiated by access to healthcare and education, access to technologies, gender issues, minorities issues, etc. 
"What is more easily accessible today is information, and this means that our youth is more exposed than ever to media, messages and ideas coming from all around the world. I would like to think that our children, and particularly in this society where access is facilitated, are better prepared to deal with difference than our previous generations ever were. They are able to balance out global ideas, global trends, with their own values at home, much better than we ever did.  They will be the generation of tolerance, in its truest sense."
Endorsing similar views, Rema Menon Vellat, Director, Counselling Point Training and Development, said: "The UAE society is home to people from over 200 nationalities. Such diversity makes it a melting pot of cultures and every single day this diversity is being embraced and celebrated.

"Although there are political struggles, voices of dissent and discontent in other parts of the MENA region, the UAE stands tall as an epitome of peace and harmony. The government ensures that we, the residents here live in a safe and crime-free environment. It is this stability and safety that makes it a huge draw for students, professionals, investors and entrepreneurs alike."
Further, Vellat said: "Fostering tolerance and accepting people of diverse race, faiths, culture and social milieu adds to the unique socio-cultural fabric of this nation. It makes the youth here culturally aware and this enhances their cultural quotient. The exposure our youth have, prepares them to become global citizens who are empathetic, culturally sensitive and understanding. As the UAE today is the microcosm of the world, our youth are empowered to be harbingers of peace. These qualities will hold them in good stead where ever they choose to go and whatever career they choose to pursue in the future."
- sandhya@khaleejtimes.com