ABU DHABI, 8TH November, 2022 (WAM) -- Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, opened the 9th edition of the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace, held in Abu Dhabi from 8th to 10th November, 2022.

The event is being attended by Shaikh Abdullah bin Bayyah, President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Communities, Chairman of the UAE Fatwa Council and Head of the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace; Sheikh Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League; Dr. Marouf Amin, Vice President of Indonesia; Hussein Ibrahim Taha, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation; several ministers; representatives of international organisations; officials from Islamic organisations; ambassadors; representatives of governmental bodies; parliamentarians; scholars; judges; religious leaders; thinkers; academics, and workers in the field of peace and coexistence worldwide.

In his speech, Sheikh Nahyan said that the UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is proud of the fact that the values of peace, tolerance and human fraternity are all traditional values of the Emirati community. He noted that President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed always highlights the importance of such human values, which are shared by all peoples.

He also presented the UAE's related experiences, which affirm the importance of tolerance and human fraternity to promoting cooperation, adding that ensuring a bright future for the entire world requires serious efforts to promote the values of tolerance and address discrimination.

He then pointed out that achieving peace and combating extremism requires everyone's continuous joint efforts, whether through issuing relevant laws, launching awareness programmes, reinforcing the role of the media, and creating a suitable public environment that encourages people to co-exist.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak stressed that the UAE celebrates the major role of religion as a driving force to achieve peace and social harmony and develop inter-faith relations.

Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, said that peace is a core value in Islam, which is a religion of peace and strengthens the values of peace, tolerance and coexistence, and values human dignity.