Abu Dhabi Crown Prince attends lecture on UAE's soft power

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and H.H. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras al-Khaimah, today attended a lecture titled "The UAE's Soft Power", delivered by Dr. Mohammed Ateeq Al Falahi, Secretary-General of the Emirates Red Crescent, at the Crown Prince’s Majlis.

Speaking about various challenges facing humanitarian work, the lecturer cited terrorist attacks that targeted UAE's humanitarian aid convoys, attempts by Hamas group, an arm of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood, to block UAE's humanitarian efforts in Gaza Strip.

However, he said, the UAE has grown stronger and its people have become role models of sacrifice and generosity, Dr. Al Falahi emphasised at the lecture attended by sheikhs, senior officials from the UAE as well as Secretary-General of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.

Al Falahi described the Muslim Brotherhood as the most malicious of all extremist groups attempting to block the Emirates Red Crescent's humanitarian efforts.

He said that two terrorist attacks, which took place earlier this year in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and Somalia, will not deter the UAE from extending a helping hand to all those in need across the world, regardless of their race, religion or gender.

The lecture revolved around five key topics: martyrs for humanity, challenges and risks facing humanitarian work, spreading love and tolerance through humanitarian work, the pillars of the UAE soft power as well as patriotism.

Al Falahi told a story about UAE's humanitarian efforts in Gaza and revealed, for the first time, how the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas attempted to block Emirati aid convoys in Gaza in 2014. He said that betrayal is one of the two groups' characteristics.

Hamas wanted to sacrifice the Emirates Red Crescent team and make political gains, he stated.

An Emirates Red Crescent convoy brought humanitarian aid overland to Gaza via Sinai. While the UAE teams were distributing aid, a group of Hamas militants fired on Israeli aircraft from the same site bringing retaliation from the Israelis, he added.

Later, when the aid convoy left Gaza to head through Sinai in Ramadan, it came under fire from terrorist groups. The Egyptian Army intervened and countered the terrorists. After the aid was distributed, the terrorist group accused the aid team of being foreign intelligence and not aid workers.

What was painful for the peaceful convoy team, that carried aid to ordinary Gazans, is that they were targeted by kinsmen and not by the Israeli forces, Al Falahi noted, and stressed that terrorist attacks will not deter the UAE from extending a helping hand to the underprivileged anywhere in the world, regardless of their race, religion or gender.

The lecturer went on to say that an Emirati 37-strong humanitarian delegation visited Afghanistan to deliver humanitarian aid after the January evil terrorist attack occurred in Kandahar.

Five Emirati - Mohammed Ali Zainal Al Bastaki, Abdullah Mohammed Eisa Obaid Al Kaabi, Ahmed Rashid Salim Ali Al Mazrouei, Ahmed Abdulrahman Ahmed Kulaib Al Tunaiji and Abdulhameed Sultan Abdullah Ibrahim- were martyred in the terrorist attack while performing a humanitarian, educational and developmental mission in Afghanistan.

The lecturer gave another example of the security challenges facing the UAE's humanitarian efforts. A month ago, an Emirates Red Crescent aid convoy was targeted by a bomb attack while carrying out a relief mission to help people in Somalia, he said, and stressed that attack did not deter the team, and resumed their missions only a few minutes after the blast.

Speaking about tolerance, the lecturer said the Emirates Red Crescent sponsors 100,000 orphans across the world.

Being loved by peoples of other nations is the real wealth, as the UAE seeks to support stability of friendly countries and spread the values of tolerance, love and peace through humanitarian action. The UAE has grown stronger and its people have become role models of sacrifice and generosity, Al Falahi said.

Others who attended the lecture include H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince of Ras al-Khaimah; H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Dhafra Region; Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Speaker of Federal National Council (FNC); H.H. Sheikh Saif bin Mohammed Al Nahyan; H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation; H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; H.H. Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court; H.H. Sheikh Dhiyab bin Zayed Al Nahya; H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development; Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Member of the Executive Council, sheikhs, dignitaries, ministers and senior officials.