Religious leaders: UAE an exemplary model of multi-faith cooperation





Religious leaders: UAE an exemplary model of multi-faith cooperation

21/11/2015

The world needs look no further than the UAE to see that Islam is a religion of peace, religious leaders meeting in Abu Dhabi said on Thursday.

With residents from more than 200 countries living side-by-side, practising their religions with ease, it is clear that the country's main religion is one of tolerance and togetherness, they said.

Rev Heejin Kang of Abu Dhabi's Korean Methodist Church, said: "I am a Pastor and always I tell the Korean people that they are living here very peacefully in the UAE, and they also feel proud of the secured life in the Emirates.”

Any misconceptions Rev Kang had about practising his religion freely in the UAE were quickly swept aside upon his arrival, he said on the side-lines of a lunch hosted by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Culture, Youth, and Community Development.

"Before coming to the UAE I was worried about my religious life here and thought that it's going to be limited. But in the UAE there is no limitation of practising the religion,” Rev Kang said.

"Many Koreans who come to the UAE are shocked knowing the reality that they can worship freely,” Rev Kang said, adding that the 14,000 Koreans living in the country had been given an opportunity to understand Islam and other religions practised here.

Although recent attacks carried out across the world have had a negative impact on Muslims, the world must stand up to those who try to tear the religion apart, he said.

"In Korea, after the incidents in Paris, they were very sensitive about Muslims and Islam. Now, I am going to Korea to tell them that terrorism is not Islam.

"I will explain to them. I will tell them this is the real Muslim country. Muslims are our friends. We live happily together.”

If people read the Quran, said Sheikh Nahyan, they would see that the religion aimed to unite people. "In our Quran it says, ‘if you save one life it's like saving the entire humanity; and if you kill one person you kill the whole of humanity'.

"We all are created in this world to do good to each other, regardless of our belief and faith. Because, at the end of the day, we are human beings.”

And in a world that is dealing with conflict, people should be lucky living in the UAE, said Surender Singh Kandhari chairman of Guru Nanak Darbar, in Dubai.

Mr Kandhari highlighted the Guru Nanak Darbar, the UAE's first official gurdwara, which opened three years ago for Dubai's 50,000-strong Sikh community.

The 70 religious leaders attending the lunch all denounced ISIL.

"These people [ISIL] are not promoting Islam and these people are promoting themselves,” said Joseph Faragalla, Pastor at the Arabic Evangelical Church in Abu Dhabi.

"It's all about the money, personal gains. They are destroying the world that God gave us to maintain.

"If you believe in your God, that's good enough. Respect the other person's belief.”

Terrorism, Mr Kandhari added, has no place in religion.

"Terrorism has no religion and terrorists are terrorists. This is truly unfair to term any religion as terrorist.

"Whether you are a Muslim, Hindu or Christian, try to be a good human being,” said Mr Kandhari, quoting Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism.

The thoughts were echoed by others at the gathering, including Father Bishoy Salib, of Abu Dhabi's Coptic Orthodox Church.

"Muslims are peaceful because Islam is a peaceful region which never calls for any violence. Any bad attitude is not part of it. The UAE is an exemplary worldwide model of multi-religion gathering and cooperation. This is the peaceful environment where all regions can grow and meet each other.”

 

 

 

UAE President adopts UAE's Higher Policy for Science, Technology and Innovation

22/11/2015

President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has announced the adoption of the Emirates Science, Technology and Innovation Higher Policy which includes 100 national initiatives in the educational sector, health, energy, transportation, space and water.

The plan foresees an investment of over Dh 300 billion and includes new national policies in legislation, investment, technology, education and finance. Its goal is to build a vibrant knowledge economy in the UAE.

"The UAE is working towards establishing a solid future for the coming generations away from the fluctuation of the energy prices and markets," commented Sheikh Khalifa. "The UAE has set its course for a post oil world through investing in the development of our people in the fields of science and advanced technology."

Sheikh Khalifa added, "Creating sustainable wealth for the coming generation will depend on science, knowledge, technology and innovation. The Science, Technology and Innovation Higher Policy adopted today is a turning point in our journey to develop the UAE economically and socially."

He confirmed his brothers the Rulers of the Emirates' full support of the Federal government under the leadership of Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in achieving this policy and defining a new scientific and knowledgeable reality for UAE.

Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, "Planning a higher policy for the UAE in the fields of science, technology and innovation that includes scientific initiatives, legislative recommendations and clear financial investment is a strategic decision that aims to change the national economy equation to drive it away from depending on limited oil resources. Our aim, as my brother His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has said, "is to celebrate the last oil barrel we export because we will be prepared for that day when it comes."

The Science, Technology and Innovation Higher Policy has involved the work of the members of the National Science, Technology and Innovation Committee, and their teams over the past year.

It comprises over 100 initiatives, a number of legislative innovations and policies in investment, technology, education and the financing of the development of a knowledge economy.

The policy includes the establishment of funds for science, research and innovation in the UAE in addition to refocusing investment legislation to encourage technology transfer, support innovation and establish global contractual industrial partnerships. It also includes targets to increase investment on research and development (R&D) in the UAE by threefold and increase the percentage of knowledge workers in the country to 40 per cent by 2021.

The national investment related to the Science, Technology and Innovation Higher Policy is more than Dh 300 billion, distributed across investments in clean energy projects amounting to Dh 128 billion; Dh 72 billion investments in the renewable energy sector; Dh 40 billion in aviation research, development and manufacturing; space sector investment of some Dh 20 billion and Dh 31 billion allocated to investment in enhancing R&D across a range of national initiatives targeting priority sectors. Added to this, Dh 6 billion has been allocated to establish innovation incubators and Dh 6 billion to develop and establish research centres attached to academia.

In addition, the Science, Technology and Innovation Higher Policy includes a set of educational and scientific initiatives that aim to prepare leaders to align with the developmental changes anticipated for the UAE. The Policy aims to redouble the focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in all UAE educational institutions.

The Policy will establish research centres in all UAE universities, focusing on innovation as the main factor in evaluating both public and private schools. The Policy establishes offices for technology transfer in all universities in the UAE to facilitate the transfer of advanced knowledge.

The Policy will also establish programmes for graduates in basic and applied research and drive cooperation between universities and the private sector in the fields of science, technology and innovation.

The initiatives stemming from the Science, Technology and Innovation Higher Policy also include providing national strategic support to various advanced industries, including space research and specialised aviation industries. The Policy provides a number of investment and legislative incentives to attract global pharmaceutical industries to the UAE by facilitating contractual partnerships with local factories.

The technological and scientific initiatives also include establishing centres for energy storage solutions, expanding solar energy research programmes and launching a national programme for water desalination using advanced technologies. In addition, the Policy establishes specialised innovation complexes in technology, auto industry techniques and spare parts, as well as building national R&D programmes in the fields of robotics and genome research. The policy also re-stated the UAE's commitment to the promotion of the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

The Policy includes new legislative frameworks to protect intellectual property and copyrights, attract scientists and researchers to the UAE's academic and research institutions and facilitate the easy movement of advanced scientific equipment and resources into the UAE.

Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister for Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the National Science, Technology and Innovation Committee said, "The direction of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in establishing the Committee was to plan a comprehensive strategic framework to achieve a quantum leap in science and technology in the UAE. His clear guidance was to establish KPIs for ministries and government bodies to effectively execute these initiatives and follow up on their progress."

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, member of the National Science, Technology and Innovation Committee, stressed the vital role of academia in applying the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy by developing specialised R&D infrastructure and supporting SMEs in developing innovations in science and research.

He added that the Ministry has presented several initiatives to support the Policy including the launch of courses on innovation in all national universities, the establishment of scientific and technological complexes at these universities and an increased focus on scholarship programmes in the main fields of the Policy, including the promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy and a member of the National Innovation Committee pointed out that the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy supports the government's efforts to adopt innovation across UAE society, contributing to the success of the Policy and meeting the UAE's vision for 2021.

The Minister added the Ministry's work supporting the Policy included the launch of a specialised Automotive Technology incubator, ‘Auto District' as well as initiatives in aviation manufacturing, spare parts and maintenance, as well as building programmes linking the aviation sector with UAE universities.

Obaid bin Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, pointed out that the Ministry's role in stimulating and fostering an environment for innovation, science and technology through the development of legislation and regulatory frameworks.

This involves legislation in line with international best practice, support for inventors and innovators, the ongoing modernisation of financial legislation and support for funding scientific research, R & D and support for SME's in the innovation space.

Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education and member of the National Science, Technology and Innovation Committee stated that the Ministry will play a vital role in curricular development focusing on the development of analytical skills and defining a central role for innovation throughout the UAE's academic institutions and policy forums. Defined areas, such as robotics sciences, would be the subject of particular focus.

Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and a member of the National Science, Technology and Innovation Committee stressed that the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy places the health sector as a key priority, with a focus on the development of intellectual property through innovation and partnerships with other global players in the sector.

He also emphasised a renewed focus on the development of technologies in healthcare such as stem cell research and bio-technology and outlined a number of initiatives to provide international industry leaders incentives to establish points of presence and invest in building R & D resources in the UAE.

For his part, Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy said that the Ministry's initiatives related to supporting the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy include investment in a number of fields, including Masdar's desalination programmes, innovations in cloud seeding and in water resource preservation, network management and re-use.

Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, pointed out that applying the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy requires launching a group of initiatives and establishing innovative incubators to support the growth of clean energy sector in the UAE.

He stated, "We will expand Masdar's solar energy centre and will establish and develop energy storage complexes, as well as establish incubators for clean energy technology complexes. Additionally, we are working on legislation to organise, facilitate and expand sustainable systems and apply green buildings standards as well as defining power consumption, efficiency and sustainability standards for a range of electronic appliances.

Mohammed Ahmed Al Qamzi, Chairman of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority confirmed the Authority will support the Science Technology and Innovation Policy through developing technological infrastructure, secure services management, developing the UAE's information networks and the national customer relations management system, as well as single sign-in and big data research projects.

He said, "Some of the Authority's initiatives in this field are supporting students studying technology and communications and investing in incubators at Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development, Zayed University and Khalifa University."

Dr. Khalifa Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, Chairman of the UAE Space Agency confirmed the Agency will play a key role in the implementation and success of the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy.

Al Rumaithi said, "In the space sector a set of projects and initiatives will be launched including introducing degrees in space sciences and engineering at national universities at both the Bachelor's and Master's levels, introducing teaching training specialising in building awareness and focus on space sciences across the curriculum. Research projects carried out at the International Space Station (ISS) and the launch of the Space Innovation and Research Centre at UAE University form a part of our comprehensive plan for the development of the UAE's space sector."


 














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