The three-day Wilton Park Inclusive Citizenship Dialogues forum began in Abu Dhabi on Monday, gathering religious, intellectual and political figures from across the Middle East.
“It’s wrong to accept from individuals or institutions any justifications that threaten national unity,” said Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Muslim World League (MWL).
“It’s also essential to protect legitimate freedoms, especially ones that promote and support citizenship,” he added.
“We appreciate the concept of national integration ministries in countries of religious and ethnic diversity, but… some of them suffer gaps due to the lack of participation of all national segments in the formulation of their programs,” he said.
“Some of these ministries have a single perspective that they impose on others, which results in accusations of failure or negative bias and racism,” Al-Issa added. “Also, some of these ministries may lack a social presence.”
The media should not be allowed to sacrifice national values, which protect everyone, for the sake of partisan, ideological, ethnic or financial interests, he said.
“Followers of religious and ethnic minorities have sacrificed a lot to show their loyalty to the countries that welcomed them and their parents,” he added.
“But the extremism of the far right came to reinforce prejudices at the expense of those sacrifices and the unity that brings social peace which, if undermined, can threaten the most important pillars of supreme national interest.”
Al-Issa called on national integration programs to address segregation, whether educational, religious or ethnic.

SOURCE : ARABNEWS