Let's not import foreign disputes into the land of tolerance

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Lets not import foreign disputes into the land of tolerance

Let's repay the affection that the UAE has showered upon expats by behaving responsibly and respecting the rule of law.

By Vicky Kapur (From the Executive Editor's desk)

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Published: Wed 25 Dec 2019, 6:00 PM

Last updated: Thu 26 Dec 2019, 4:01 PM

In an increasingly polarised world marred by bigotry, narrow-mindedness and prejudice, the UAE shines ever brighter as a beacon of diversity, tranquillity, and sensitivity. There is a good reason why people from more than 200 nationalities proudly proclaim this land of tolerance as their home away from home. We feel safe and welcomed here. We don't feel judged or discriminated on the basis of our religion, faith, opinion or even political beliefs. Rulers, leaders, and citizens of the land spare no effort to embrace and accept expats with all our dissimilarities and contrasting views.
But what happens when we feel a bit too strongly about the goings-on in our homeland and sense a need to rally for a cause that is admittedly alien to this land? We must understand that, irrespective of happenings in our homelands, expats in this country must not take to the streets in the UAE to campaign for righting the wrongs elsewhere. However much our extended families may be impacted by it, corruption in our home countries, for instance, has no link or connect with the UAE, and lobbying for it here is not going to have any effect on the menace in our country of citizenship.
Take, for instance, India's Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which has led to violent protests and demonstrations back in that country. The UAE, obviously, does not interfere in the internal affairs of any country. While Indians against the CAA have every right to believe that the Narendra Modi administration - the democratically elected government of the country - must listen to their grouse, parading on the streets here in the UAE is neither going to result in anything positive, nor is it in line with the local laws that allow for peaceful gatherings with prior approvals.
Let's repay the affection and safety that our adopted home has showered upon us by behaving responsibly, respecting the rule of law and adhering to the UAE's principles and ethos of unity and understanding. Let us seamlessly weave our disparate and distinct threads cohesively into the fabric of this nation's society, making the social order stronger with all our tensile differences. Let's make a conscious effort to not import foreign disputes into the land of tolerance.


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