UAE ambassador urges young Muslims to be careful of extremist ideology

Aspiring young Emirati diplomats have been told about the need to seek new knowledge and not to impose their cultures on others but to encourage tolerance and cooperation between people under the umbrella of humanity and civilization. 
UAE's Ambassador to Russia, Omar Saif Ghobash, the UAE's Ambassador to Russia said to the students of the Emirates Diplomatic Academy (EDA) at a lecture this week that the world people live in today is different because building certainties requires more time, more knowledge, more experience, more trust than ever before.
He encouraged the youngsters to stretch their horizons in seeking new knowledge, understanding different cultures while staying true to their religion and national values.
 "And in this way, the UAE could mark its own distinctive mark through the promotion of peace, cooperation and mutual respect," said Ghobash who is also a member of the EDA's Board of Trustees.
Besides being one of the UAE's most successful and charismatic Ambassadors, Ghobash is also an author who has received international recognition for his inspiring and heartfelt book, 'Letters to a Young Muslim', in which he presents a series of letters to his young sons that combine the wisdom he has gained as both a father and an experienced, cosmopolitan diplomat.
In his book, the Ambassador seeks an answer to the question on how we can stay true to our national identities, our religious beliefs and our local values, whilst engaging with the world that lies outside those parameters.
And his absorbing lecture which was also attended by the academy's alumni, employees and faculty staff, reflected one of his observations in his book that "even Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is widely known for having encouraged us to go, even to China, in the search for knowledge."
Ghobash said: "I am not an expert in Islam. My message is that of a human to another human. On this understanding, I want to reach an audience of young Muslims, as well as non-Muslims."
"I want to highlight the vulnerable situation of all those young adults that have no access to the wider world, that are locked into a particular language, culture, territory and belief. The young man and woman that seeks all his answers from within one culture."
And responding to some of the student's questions about how they could cope with the expectations of friends and family, how they can live a good life in accordance with the teachings of the Quran, how could their wish to abide by their principles be reconciled with their wish to follow their individual paths and "break free" from certain restraints,  Ghobash said that young students need to be ready to have all their assumptions and preconceptions taken apart while they are growing up, in order to clear the way for a rebuilding process that will equip them with the ability to be analytical and capable of making up their own minds.
Also, answering a question about the importance of diplomacy and the mission of the Emirates Diplomatic Academy, the Ambassador explained that with the growth of conflict around the world, the need for successful diplomats is more urgent than ever.
 "A key factor that sets a diplomat apart from the crowd is a willingness to integrate into a host culture through engaging with local people, attending events and learning the language," he said.
"UAE diplomats needed to remember that while they were representing their country they also had to 'bounce between mentalities' and emphasise with the concerns of others."
The UAE diplomat also urged young Muslims to be careful so as to navigate around the traps of extremist ideology and a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam, while dealing with prejudice, Islamophobia and the rise of populism based on xenophobia and misunderstandings about the Islamic world.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com

UAE Ambassador to Russia, Omar Saif Ghobash