Abu Dhabi, 4th Aug. 2011 (WAM) -- His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, attended last night the first lecture of his Ramadan cultural Majlis delivered by Sheikh Hamza Yusuf.
In his lecture titled : Towards an Ideal Balance between Religious and NationalIdentities'', Sheikh Yusuf, a US Islamic scholar, teacher, and co-founder of Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California, cited the UAE as a model of diversity under itsfederation. Yusuf is American convert to Islam, and is one of the signatories of A Common Word Between Us and You, an open letter by Islamic scholars to Christian leaders, calling for peace and understanding. As he reviewed elements for consolidating the identity like the language, religion, traditions, personal outlook and costumes, Sheikh Yusuf lauded the UAE's efforts towards safeguarding its heritage and passing it to the next generations as a historic and cultural legacy with all its characteristics and features. He said heritage is an integral part of the life of fathers and forefathers citing the famous words of the late founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan : "Whoever has no past has neither present nor future". He urged the Arabs and Muslims to promote and protect the Arabic language against the current challenges of globalisation as the language of the holy Quran and Islam. The Arabic language, he stressed, is the treasure that should be protected, revived and flourished as a key factor for preserving the national identity. He indicated that the UAE has promoted the culture of tolerance, brotherhood and solidarity as evident through delivery of humanitarian assistance to the needy people across the world without distinction to nationality or language. Doing so, he added, the UAE has become a model in this field, citing its ongoing massive relief campaign in the famine-hit Horn of Africa. The lecturer, who was ranked as "the Western world's most influential Islamic scholar" by The 500 Most Influential Muslims, edited by John Esposito and Ibrahim Kalin, (2009),also praised the UAE woman for adhering to her national identity, decency and chastity. The UAE woman today, he said, occupiestop positions in the State, reflecting the balanced political and civilised face of the UAE which earns respect and commendation of the whole world. According to him, woman plays a crucial and positive role in inculcatingand upholding noble social values and virtues, which serve as safety valves to ''our children, households and communities''. On the role of school curricula in instilling national identity, Sheikh Yusuf saidcurricula play indispensable role in planting and upholding values and spiritof belonging, unity, love of homeland in the souls of young generations. He called for employing cartoon characters to promote noble valuesand concepts of Islamic life and teachings.Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2011.
