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Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Issues Law on Tolerance Institute | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai. (Reuters)


Dubai – Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum issued a law on the establishment of the International Institute for Tolerance. He also issued a decree to establish a Board of Trustees for the institute and another to appoint the managing director.

The law includes launching the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Tolerance Award, administered in accordance with the provision of the law, and establishing its statutes in correlation with the Institute.

According to an official statement, the International Institute for Tolerance aims to instill a spirit of tolerance in society, building a cohesive society and promoting the UAE as a role model for tolerance, anti- extremism and -all forms of discrimination among people, including discrimination based on religion, gender, race, color or language.

The law will promote tolerance, encourage open dialogue and highlight the honest and peaceful essence of Islam.

Sheikh Mohammed said the UAE has promoted the values of tolerance, coexistence and acceptance and tolerance is an essential value in building societies and plays a key role in countries’ stability and peoples’ happiness.

The ruler of Dubai added: “We seek to instill the value of tolerance, openness and dialogue among communities, and to contribute in rejecting fanaticism, extremism and narrow-mindedness.”

Rashid noted that since its establishment, the UAE has promoted the values of tolerance and has become a safe haven for people from all over the world who can find it a place without discrimination based on religion, race, gender or color.

He also said: “We look forward to leading the activities of the International Institute for Tolerance, which seeks to instill the value of tolerance and openness in young Arab leaders. We must work together toward instilling tolerance as an essential cultural component so it becomes a work approach, intellect and daily practice.”

The law also aims to honor groups and entities that contribute to entrenching the value of tolerance among people, encouraging entrepreneurship and excellence in establishing the rules of tolerance at the national and international levels, promoting interfaith dialogue and highlighting the peaceful and honest nature of Islam.

In accordance with the law, the Institute has the following functions and powers: to propose policies and legislation aimed at securing the values of tolerance and moderation in the society, and to submit them to the relevant authorities for implementation; periodically organizing international conferences related to tolerance in the State; preparing and disseminating research on the values of tolerance; managing the tolerance award and empowering it so it realize its goals; signing partnerships with the concerned cultural institutions worldwide to spread harmony and tolerance values among generations.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Tolerance Award will be handed out across five sectors – three honoring the efforts to spread the value of tolerance in philosophy, literary creativity and visual arts, and two competitions organized by the awards committee, focusing on youth projects and new media initiatives.