Religious figures are planning for the Year of Tolerance of the UAE

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eligious leaders across the UAE have said the Year of Tolerance will bring good news from a region so often associated with conflict and strife.

Roman Catholic, Coptic Orthodox, Anglican, Sikh and the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints religious groups said it would demonstrate the leadership of the UAE in the Arab world and stressed that the troubling global rise of intolerance can be faced.

But they also urged everyone to promote tolerance and said it’s not just an issue for the Emirates.

Rev Andy Thompson, Anglican chaplain in Abu Dhabi’s St Andrew ‘s Church, said the designation would build bridges and not walls.

“Who would have thought a Muslim country would call the attention of the world back to the pluralism. It’s a great surprise and surprising, “Rev Thompson said.” Most westerners are just getting bad news from the world but there are some good news here, “he said.

UAE leaders on Saturday proclaimed the Year of Tolerance. It followed news that the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, will visit the UAE in February and hold a public mass in Abu Dhabi.

Paul Hinder, Southern Arabia Catholic Bishop said the Year of Tolerance would help people of different faiths live in harmony.

“We, the Catholic Church here in the UAE, are delighted with the news of the February 2019 visit by Pope Francis, and are grateful to the UAE government and its leaders,” Mr Hinder said.

“This UAE Year of Tolerance has contributed to a greater understanding of human values.”

Surender Singh Kandhari, chairman of Dubai’s GuruNanak Darbar Sikh temple, said the UAE was the only country that promoted tolerance in that way. Mr Kandhari said the anti-discrimination law – criminalizing all types of bigotry on the basis of faith, caste, sex, belief, ethnicity, colour or ethnic origin – also helped.

Mr. Kandhari has approached other religious leaders to be working on a year-marking initiative.

“People can talk about it but the main thing is to make a project to help encourage it and understand it,” he said. Several religious leaders said it was vital to start the work of fostering school-level tolerance, and classes should be discussed in the subject.

“It starts with education, it begins with young people and comes from the pulpit, the universities and the media. Intolerance is something of course we do. We need to cultivate empathy,’ Rev Thompson said. “But everyone needs to own tolerance. Not just Emiratis.

The 2019 theme will also be an extension of the Year of Zayed, a year devoted to the Founding Father. Freedom of worship is not a new development for the UAE and Sheik Zayed throughout his reign granted land to churches.

The news has also been greeted by Coptic Orthodox Church members. There are 30,000 Coptic Orthodox Christians and eight churches across the UAE from a small congregation, 40 years ago. “We enjoy a lot of freedom,” said Ashaia Haroun, deacon of the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral of St Antony in Abu Dhabi.

“Sheik Zayed has set out everything, and going to tolerance after Zayed is a proper series,” Mr Haroun said. Mr Haroun said that Arabic ‘s world openness signified more than its English translation. In Arabic it only tolerates anyone more generally, he said. “This is a good chance to express gratitude and thanks.”

Jeffrey Singer, leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Abu Dhabi, formerly known as Mormon, said the Year of Tolerance is a testament to the devotion of the UAE to the values of equality and religious pluralism.

“This is just another way for the UAE to display leadership in the Arab world,” Mr Singer said. “Every government should have a tolerance ministry or some procedure that would make tolerance a pillar of society,” he said.