“The UAE, ..nation and land of Tolerance and Human Fraternity  ... a bully-free world”



The National Archives organized two national lectures as part of the Human Fraternity Festival events

The National Archives organized two lectures as part of the events of the annual Human Fraternity Festival, that starts on February 4th, and is organized by the UAE Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence. This festival comes in celebration and commemoration of the International Day of Human Fraternity declared by the United Nations, in commemoration of the signing of the Abu Dhabi Document on Human Fraternity on February 4th, 2019, which is in essence a message of love and peace from the UAE to the world.

The two virtual interactive lectures came in strict adherence to adopted precautionary measures to counter and contain the spread of Covid-19 virus: the first of which is entitled: “The UAE, ..the land of tolerance,” while the second is entitled: “Human Fraternity ... a bully-free world.”

The first lecture was delivered by the lecturer Muhammad Ismail Abdullah, Senior Educational Programs Officer at the National Archives who stressed that the UAE shall continue to spread hope and goodness, and that the 4th of February will remain an occasion which illustrates that the UAE is a global capital of tolerance that promotes coexistence, solidarity and tolerance values.



The lecturer quoted the founding leader Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's words: "Tolerance is a must, because a person is a human being in the first place, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, he is God's creation", and illustrated by speaking of tolerance in Sheikh Zayed's approach; emphasizing that he has always sought to preserve the values of Islam, making equality and tolerance a way of life, and since the establishment of the Union, he has warmly welcomed all nationalities to the UAE, which he made a land of tolerance, coexistence and love. The lecturer defined tolerance as acceptance, mercy, lenience, and kindness, he added that its linguistic connotation or terminology imply patience, forgiveness, mercy and benevolence, and that tolerance is one of the most important human values in the world.

The lecturer indicated that Islam is a religion of tolerance, honor, pride, and justice, and that religious tolerance- as opposed to intolerance- is based on accepting others and respecting their beliefs. The lecturer pointed out that the values of tolerance and love are deep rooted in the UAE society and are integral constituents of its cultural and social heritage, where people has long lived and coexisted with love, as the UAE people developed a unique social solidarity system based on social solidarity and tolerance values.

the lecturer also listed the characteristics of the Emirati society, indicating that it is one of the most successful and accomplished societies in terms of adopting, displaying and exercising the values of tolerance instilled and established by the UAE and its wise leadership. The lecturer then spoke of tolerance in the UAE constitution, and the story behind (Al-Ghaf tree) as the slogan of tolerance and the reason for choosing it.

In conclusion, the lecturer spoke about the Emirati example and model of tolerance, and the programs and tools supporting it, highlighting the positive role that the media plays in promoting tolerance in society.

As for the second lecture, "Human Fraternity ... a bully-free world", delivered by the Emirati Author Mariam Al Hammadi who stressed that the UAE will always remain a beacon that disseminates and promotes the values of tolerance and giving, and seeks to achieve the well-fare, happiness and development for all beings. She later depicted the workplace or professional bullying, and reviewed some of its forms, such as: exclusion, or isolation of the bullied employee, disregarding his/her feelings, and attaching no significance or importance to them, directing false accusations, demotion and termination, unjust evaluation, pushing him/ her to resign or leave work ... etc. The lecturer shed light on the bully deriving factors, and explained the five monkeys theory in management, then proceeded to explain the situation of bullying institutions. In conclusion, she reviewed the methods adopted to eliminate workplace bullying and deal with or treat its negative effects.



The National Archives:

The National Archives of the United Arab Emirates was established in 1968 under the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, based on the directives of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, with the aim of collecting and documenting material relating to the history and heritage of the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf region. Forty years after its establishment, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE President issued Federal Law No. (7) for the year 2008 to change its name to be the National Center for Documentation and Research, which was entrusted with organizing the UAE government entities' archives. Later, His Highness issued his orders to change its name to be the (National Archives) in accordance with Federal Law No. (1) of 2014.