H.E. Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the Department of Community Development, Abu Dhabi, emphasised that since its establishment, the UAE has been committed to fostering a culture of mutual respect, upholding the values of tolerance, and making them a way of life for both the present and future generations.
The statement was made on the occasion of International Day for Tolerance, and H.E. highlighted that the principle of tolerance is a vital aspect of our wise leadership’s vision, which aims at imbibing this principle in the daily lives of the society in order to strengthen unity in the local community, foster an ecosystem of love, unity, and promote solidarity among various nationalities, cultures, religions, ideologies, and ethnicities.
H.E. further stated that the UAE is home to diverse nationalities, all of which are seen as vital part of the society and play a significant role in fostering the all-encompassing development that has helped to solidify the UAE's position on a global level. H.E. added that the UAE has made a significant contribution to promoting the idea of tolerance because of its abundance of churches and temples, permitting everyone to practise their religion openly and reflects the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's vision of creating a nation that follows the path of goodness and tolerance in order to advance development and growth.
In order to ensure that the DCD is capable of positive transformation and accomplishing strategic goals of developing an integrated and cohesive society, H.E. stressed that the Department is working to foster an active and responsible society that promotes all of its segments. Furthermore, to achieve an active and responsible society, effective opportunities and services must be provided fairly and evenly to ensure residents consider the Emirate as their second home, along with launching the "One Community" campaign for social cohesion, which aims to strengthen unity among society members and segments and foster a sense of solidarity and belonging among them.
H.E. further lauded the efforts of the Department for successfully managing and organising the non-Muslim worship areas by providing license and supervision at various churches and temples, along with authorising and establishing multi-religion worship spaces, further ensuring Abu Dhabi’s position as a safe and secure place, where members of the community can practice their religious traditions freely.