The UAE’s Minister of Tolerance talks Trump and terrorism at a panel discussion.
As the Minister for Tolerance, it was likely that US President Donald Trump’s controversial US visa ban on seven Muslim-majority countries would crop up.
And Sheikha Lubna Al Qassimi addressed the issue at the World Government Summit in Dubai today.
In a panel discussion with CNN Money’s John Defterios, the minister described the crackdown on travel as a “sovereignty issue”.
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“While the intent of the move was to address terrorism, maybe the message that it sent out was not really the right one,” she said, Gulf Business reports.
Trump last month signed an executive order blocking entry to the US for nationals of Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Iran and Iraq.
Earlier today: Sheikha Lubna with @JDefteriosCNN “I think we take values of tolerance for granted” #WorldGovSummit pic.twitter.com/r3ww8RKcrk
— World Gov Summit (@WorldGovSummit) February 13, 2017
However the ban has been stopped in its tracks by federal judges, who say the public has an interest in “freedom from discrimination”.
Trump has now vowed to further fight for the executive order’s reinstatement through the courts.
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Sheikha Lubna said that in the current climate, it’s more important to promote tolerance rather than separation.
“In every religion, the key values of love for God and love for humanity are emphasised. Hence it is crucial that we approach religion not by text but by values,” she said.
“Islam has been hijacked [by radicals] and the UAE has taken a courageous stand to bring it back to the grassroots. We walk the talk here. It’s the attitude that matters.”
