The Chairman of the “Global Council for Tolerance and Peace” Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Jarwan told Al-Ittihad: The UAE… coexistence and peace in the face of terrorism

His Excellency Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Jarwan, the Chairman of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, stressed that the UAE’s efforts to spread the values of tolerance and peace reflect the response in meeting the needs of the current phase in which the world is living, noting that the Emirati society is the most accepting of the idea of coexistence between multiple cultures and religions. He pointed out that the danger of the spread of terrorism in the African continent and the efforts of terrorist organizations to destroy societies from inside, stressing the importance of spreading the values of tolerance and peace to confront terrorism.
His Excellency Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Jarwan, in an interview with “Al Ittihad” on the occasion of the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, corresponding to the day of Monday, stated that the efforts of the United Arab Emirates in the field of spreading the values of tolerance and peace globally are a response from the State’s wise leadership in order to meet the needs of the current phase in which the world is living, pointing out that these efforts reflect a conscious reading of the facts of the conflicts arose in the Arab region and many regions of the world, and how to confront them and extinguish their fires by using soft power and reviving humanitarian principles.
His Excellency Ahmed bin Muhammad Al Jarwan described these efforts as “the fruit of what the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may Allah bless him, instilled in him, since he founded this State on tolerance, and he has always advised those around him of the importance of consolidating the values of love and coexistence among human beings; we also learned from Sheikh Zayed the points of agreement with the other and build good relations on these points, and we also learned to disregard the points of disagreement with the other so that we can live together in peace and good neighborliness”.
Furthermore, he added: “Therefore, we note that Emirati society is the most accepting of the idea of coexistence between different cultures and multiple religions, which are not slogans of hesitation, but rather a reality in which 200 nationalities live on the land of this State”.
He referred: “I can describe these efforts as an alarm sounded by the wise leadership of the UAE to remind humanity of what it pledged in the Charter of the United Nations after the end of World War II, when we pledged at the beginning of this charter to live with tolerance in order to save future generations from a war that the human being lived its bitterness twice”.
In light of the recent escalation of events at various levels, he stated: “The UAE was proactive in reading the scene, and therefore, decided to make every effort to spread the values of tolerance and love among human beings, and perhaps a careful reading of the document on human brotherhood that was issued from the land of this State reflects a lot of meanings”.
On the warnings of the danger of the spread of terrorism in the African continent, especially in the Sahel region, with increasing the competition between “Al-Qaeda” and “ISIS”, His Excellency Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Jarwan, the Chairman of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, stated that “The terrorist organizations are like malignant diseases that infect the human body and make his cells attack the body itself in order to eliminate them, which is what these terrorist organizations do when they infect young people and make them attack their communities”.
He stated: “If you want to measure the immunity of societies and their ability to combat the spread of terrorist organizations, you have to measure the extent to which the values of tolerance are spread among their children, and if you want to strengthen this immunity in any society, you shall make more effort to spread the values of tolerance”.
He indicated: “This is our vision and mission in the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace to combat the scourge of extremism, and we seek to spread the values of tolerance through cooperation with various partners from countries, international organizations or civil society organizations, and we pay special attention to educational and research institutions, and we have a large number of cooperation and partnership agreements with universities from around the world”.
On the importance of celebrating the memory of victims of terrorism and violence based on religion or belief, the Chairman of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace stated that the importance of these occasions is to aim to revive the noble human values that exist within every human being, remind the tragedies experienced by the victims of terrorism, extremism and violence, and emphasizes the value of humanitarian work that can alleviate the pain of those.
He referred: “Unfortunately, I describe the global response to these issues as modest to a large extent, and the fact that the United Nations and its specialized agencies are making tremendous efforts to draw the attention of the international society to the dangers of these humanitarian issues, international reports monitor a steady increase in poverty rates in many countries and millions of people displaced from their countries due to the outbreak of wars and the spread of terrorism; reports also monitor an increase in the number of victims of conflicts and an escalation of violence resulting from religious and ideological reasons, all of which are indicators that the global response to these issues does not rise to the required level”.
He added: “The humanitarian work in all its forms, whether it is providing shelter, food, clothing or health care to those facing humanitarian crises, shall be part of the culture of our children everywhere”.
On the possibility of mankind enjoying real and sustainable peace in light of the efforts exerted globally during the past period, His Excellency Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Jarwan stated: “It is certainly possible for mankind to enjoy real and sustainable peace, and this can be achieved through the application of the force of law and not the law of force, and through giving priority to the common collective interest of the international society over the private interest of each country”.
He indicated: “The fears that increase in the hearts of some are caused by the adoption of the theory that the international system, like iron, does not accept reconfiguration until after it is melted by the fires of war, an idea that was proven during the first and second world wars, but we shall realize that the situation today is different as the development of weapons, especially nuclear weapons and the grave potential risks from their use, and the gains made by the humanitarian society during the past eight decades in various fields, call for responding to diplomatic solutions to settle any international disputes, no matter how much they may be.
His Excellency Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Jarwan considered that tolerance and condoning some of the differences of the past in order to protect common interests and ensure the sustainability of world peace has become the most appropriate path out of the current impasse, a direction that all actors in the international society shall push towards. He stressed the importance of a strong Arab bloc sponsored by the League of Arab States that pushes towards this direction and tries to make efforts to contain the escalating international crises and preserve common Arab interests.