Lubna Al-Qasimi discusses religious freedom with European envoy

During a Sunday meeting, the UAE again committed itself to stand at the forefront of promoting tolerance, diversity and human rights.

Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance, affirmed that the UAE is committed to carry out a number of international conventions related to forgiveness, peace, the elimination of violence, hatred, extremism, and racism, and is constantly seeking to respect human rights and different religions and races, as well as accepting differing peoples on many intellectual, cultural and religious levels.

She made this statement during her meeting with Jan Figel, special European Envoy for the Promotion of Religious Freedom, on the sidelines of the forum for the promotion of peace in Abu Dhabi.

During the meeting, Sheikha Lubna spoke about those policies of the UAE focusing on tolerance, its international efforts and international contributions that the country has made, and is still making, towards promoting peace in different communities by drafting laws and legislation, and creating programmes and initiatives to enforce the values of tolerance, love, cooperation and compassion between different people throughout the world, regardless of their color or religion, and cited an example for such efforts as federal decree number 2 in 2015 on fighting hatred and discrimination.

Furthermore, She spoke about the national programme for tolerance, which is predominantly based on seven elements: Islam, the UAE constitution, the Zayed legacy, UAE morals, international conventions, history, human instinct and mutual values.

The programme is constituted in five main areas, including the promotion of the role of the government as the main tolerance incubator, the promotion of the role of the family in building a tolerant society, the promotion of tolerance among youth and their being prevented from becoming involved with extremism, enriching cultural and scientific contents, contributing in international efforts in the promotion of tolerance, and highlighting the role of the state as a tolerant state.