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UAE praised for pluralism in its Islamic character

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has achieved an optimal balance between religious and national identities by preserving Arabic language and traditions alongside a culture of pluralism, Shaikh Hamza Yousuf, a renowned Islamic scholar, said during a lecture on Wednesday at a majlis hosted by General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

During his lecture, Yousuf said he could see no contradiction between religious and national identities in the UAE, noting that the country set a very good example as a melting pot for people of different cultures.

"The UAE is a very good example in terms of safeguarding its national and religious identities which are unparalleled anywhere," Yousuf said, adding that the people of the UAE are very cooperative and "each emirate supports the other".

Many facets

The Emirati identity has many aspects that sets it apart from other identities, he said. The Emirati community also has a number of tribes with common traditions, cultures, heritage and language, he added. Another feature which the Emirati identity is based on is the generosity and support for Arab and Muslim causes, he observed.

Cultivating a national identity among younger generations requires proper education and instilling a sense of traditional upbringing, he advised. "It is obvious that we are focusing in our education on English and other languages instead of focusing on Arabic as a language for education, resulting in weakness of our students and their educational outcome," he added.

"Our children are more fluent in foreign languages than in their mother tongue. I am not against learning other languages. Rather I am against ignoring Arabic and treating it as a second language," he said.

Yousuf said the founding leader of the UAE, Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, had left behind not only a modern nation with no enemies or foes but also an orderly state and civil community that moves freely within a confederate government system — a community with ambitions, dreams, and achievements.

When the UAE was established, the country was faced with serious challenges, both internal and external. But the young nation was able to overcome those challenges thanks to the wisdom of its founding fathers, Yousuf added. He pointed out that the UAE extended assistance to many countries, particularly Arab and Muslim states. "The UAE supports building many mosques, hospitals and educational centres everywhere in the Arab and Muslim worlds. Nowadays, the UAE sends aid shipments to Somalia which suffers a famine," he said.

Globalisation challenge

He dubbed globalisation as a major challenge for all countries, including the United States, and urged communities to be prepared for the problems it presented. He warned that globalisation would erode national identities while hailing the UAE for its cultural mix.

"There is a vast cultural inventory in every Emirati house. It is an accumulation of the heritage of our parents and grandparents. This culture, like us, suffers from marginalisation in a society that is quickly changing. If this cultural inventory is used in the right way, it would help a great deal in shaping our national identity," he concluded.

The lecture was attended by Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; Shaikh Hamed Bin Zayed; Shaikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Zayed; Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research; Shaikh Surour Bin Mohammad; Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak; Shaikh Khalid Bin Zayed; Shaikh Hazza Bin Zayed, cabinet ministers, ambassadors and senior officials.

Hamza Yusuf is an adviser to Stanford Univesity's Programme in Islamic Studies as well as the Centre for Islamic Studies at Berkeley's Graduate theological Union. He is also the West's most influential Islamic scholar.


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