ABU DHABI // Qatar topped a poll of young people who believe non-Muslims should have the same rights as Muslims when in their country.
But many states were split and half the respondents in some countries thought they should not be treated the same.
The findings came in a survey of almost 7,000 young Arabs by the Tabah Foundation in Abu Dhabi.
The findings raise concerns about a lack of understanding of other cultures and religions, the survey’s authors said.
“The view that citizenship is subject to a hierarchy of prominence, determined primarily by one’s faith, is precisely the frame that extremist groups want normalised,” said Abaas Yunas, head of the Tabah Futures Initiative that designed the study.
“This raises a profound question: why do they think non-Muslim citizens should not have equal rights? Where is that coming from?”
It could be derived from extremist ideologies that take concepts from Islam and distort them, he said.
It is in contrast to measures taken to grant equal treatment for all religious minorities, such as at the Marrakech Declaration last year.
“But ignorance plays a very important role in all of this and they [extremists] exploit it,” Mr Yunas said.
Such ideas could also be propagated among insecure Muslims, who fear that non-Muslim residents of their country could spread un-Islamic behaviour.
“A person who is comfortable with their religious identity does not fear having non-Muslims living among them,” Mr Yunas said.
The largest rate of young people who said non-Muslims should not have equal rights was in Libya, at 54 per cent.
That was followed by Mauritania, with 47 per cent.
In Oman, the figure was 41 per cent.
Rania Abou, a 32-year-old Qatari, said such views are driven by ignorance and perhaps political instability in some countries.
“When people are under pressure to survive on a daily basis, they tend to stick to people from their own sect,” Ms Abou said.
“Our Islamic religion says there should be no difference between people of different faiths.
“If the religion does not deprive them of their rights, who are we to do that?
“Moral and ethical behaviour are also not entirely religion based.
“There are many Muslims who spread negative behaviour in society.
“It has nothing to do with being Muslim or not.”
hdajani@thenational.ae
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MATCH INFO
First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs
Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets
Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
The biog
Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza
Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer
Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
The biog
Name: Maitha Qambar
Age: 24
Emirate: Abu Dhabi
Education: Master’s Degree
Favourite hobby: Reading
She says: “Everyone has a purpose in life and everyone learns from their experiences”
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
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The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Analysis
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