Religious values and spirituality should be instilled in our children, Lubna says
Minister highlights importance of institutionalising tolerance in the UAE
Our aim should be to instill religious values and spirituality in our children in order to send the right message of Islam to the world, said Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Tolerance, at the second day of the World Government Summit.
During a session that included Omar Saif Ghobash, UAE Ambassador to Russia, Shaikha Lubna highlighted the importance of institutionalising tolerance in the UAE. “Don’t approach religion through text only, but rather [based] on the spiritual values and the moral education that those words stem from, and present it beautifully to the new generations,” she said. Shaikha Lubna discussed the introduction of the message of tolerance into school curriculums and communities, pointing out that often values of tolerance are considered “inherent” from culture and family.
“Islam has been hijacked. I think we should move from being defensive towards Islam by being out there and giving the right message,” said Shaikha Lubna. She referred to values of tolerance seen in the UAE today, highlighting the coexistence of over 200 nationalities living in the country.
Commenting on the UAE’s diversity and tolerance, Ghobash said the UAE has “an amazing model of Islam.” He called for a focus on allowing individuals to flourish on their own without strict guidelines in order to see more creativity, writers and artists. “If we concentrated on providing a space for creativity on new principles instead of following strict guidelines, we will be more successful,” he added.
He also referred to the change in the message delivered to Muslims during Friday sermons, pointing out it’s less aggressive and more consistent with values of tolerance.