Highlights from the UAE Embassy’s Ramadan Gathering and Interfaith Discussion
In the spirit of interfaith harmony and cooperation, the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC, hosts an annual Iftar — the meal eaten after sunset during Ramadan — during the celebratory month. During the pandemic, the Embassy held a virtual gathering to promote unity among religions during an especially trying time. Yousef Al Otaiba welcomed attendees of the virtual gathering, which included religious leaders, representatives of the United Nations, and both US and UAE officials.
Conversation focused on the UAE’s founding commitment to tolerance and coexistence as set by the country’s late founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The goal of the interfaith dialogue is to give people from various backgrounds, ethnicities and religions an opportunity to learn from and better understand each other while building mutual respect. Various leaders from different faiths also spoke on how the UAE has set the stage for the rest of the world to encourage religious inclusion and tolerance.
Over the years, the UAE Embassy in DC and Ambassador Al Otaiba have hosted numerous Iftars, meetings with religious leaders – including a visit from Pope Francis to the UAE – and other similar events to bolster understanding of common humanity in the UAE and around the world. Most recently, the UAE opened the Abrahamic Family House in the nation’s capital. This complex includes a communal area for educational purposes, a Jewish synagogue, an Islamic mosque and a Catholic church – symbolically and physically connecting these different religions in one location.
To learn more about the UAE’s commitment to religious inclusion visit: https://www.uae-embassy.org/discover-...
Read about the Embassy’s most recent interfaith Iftar: https://www.uae-embassy.org/news/uae-...
Abrahamic Family House: https://www.abrahamicfamilyhouse.ae/
Stay informed on Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba’s latest work:
UAE Embassy: https://www.uae-embassy.org/ambassado...
MoFAIC: https://www.mofaic.gov.ae/en/bio/yous...
LinkedIn: / yousef-al-otaiba
UAE USA United: https://www.uaeusaunited.com/yousef-a...
#ReligiousInclusion #Ramadan #UAE
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome from Yousef Al Otaiba
00:33 Ambassador Al Otaiba on the importance of community
00:46 The UAE’s commitment to coexistence
01:27 Sentiments from UN leaders
02:00 Commentary from religious leaders
03:10 Concluding thoughts from the Ambassador