UAE Embassy in Baku hosts online meeting on multiculturalism

On September 17, the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates organized an online meeting titled Abrahamic House of Fraternity with the participation of Mr. Jeyhun Mammadov, Member of Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan Republic, Mr. Rahim Rahimov, Counselor of the Analytical Department at Baku İnternationalMulticulturalism Center and Mr. Ali Haziyev, Head of foreign relations department at the State Committee on Religious Associations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Report informs, citing the Embassy.

Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy Mr. Abdalla AlShamsi made an opening speech, saying that the UAE proposes a dedicated space for inter-faith dialogue in an increasingly polarized world. Religious tolerance and the embrace of diversity have been a part of the UAE story from the very beginning. He mentioned that over 200 nationalities co-exist in the UAE today, and every major religion is practiced.

Mr. Abdalla AlShamsi gave broad information about the project called The Abrahamic Family House. The House will be an interfaith complex currently in Abu Dhabi development that will feature a church, a mosque, a synagogue, and a secular welcome center on one shared site.

“The Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—are united by the belief in one God and all three share in a history connected to the patriarch Abraham. The overall design aims to highlight the often overlooked similarities between the three faiths and their corresponding architectural traditions,” he stressed.

Charge d’Affaires also gave information about the Document of Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis and Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, during the first visit to Abu Dhabi in February of 2019. 

Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Associations and Religious Organizations Jeyhun Mammadov spoke on; Multicultural values in Azerbaijan; noted the successful policy of multiculturalism in Azerbaijan under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, underlined the high level of the bilateral relations between the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan and the significant role of the leaders of the two countries in the development of these ties.

Ali Haziyev, Head of the foreign relations department of the State Committee on Religious Associations, broadly informed the participants on the activities of the Committee.

During the meeting, the participants exchanged their precious views about multiculturalism and tolerance in the UAE and Azerbaijan.