ABU DHABI, 9th April, 2019 (WAM) — Shaikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah, Chairman of the UAE Fatwa Council and President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, today received Shaikh Jamal Fouda, the Imam of Al Noor Mosque in the New Zealand city of Christchurch and appreciated the “professional” approach adopted by the government of New Zealand in handling the recent terrorist mosque mass shootings.

Having extended his sincere condolences to the people and government of New Zealand over the death of the victims, Bin Bayyah underlined the “necessity of uprooting the scourge of hate crimes and rhetoric, and promoting the values of love, goodness and peace, being core Islamic principles.”

“Acts of terror go counter to reason and fly in the face of common sense,” the top scholar said doubling on the sound approach pursued by the UAE on this score, the seeds of which, he said, were sown by late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and carried on under the country’s wise leadership who staunchly believe that “tolerance is one of those qualities that forms the bedrock of society.”

He underscored the commitment of the UAE to continue to promote the values of inclusion, acceptance and tolerance through the country’s various state departments and institutions, among which is the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies and the Muslim Council of Elders.

For his part, Shaikh Jamal Fouda commended the “noble stance” adopted by the UAE toward the Muslims of his country in the wake of the terrorist attack.

“The UAE took the initiative to ensure the safety of the Muslim community in New Zealand following the Christchurch attack and the UAE ambassador was the first to call after the tragedy,” said Fouda.

A UAE delegation led by Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the World Council of Muslim Communities and Dr Mohammed Matar al Kaabi, Chairman of General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments, visited Christchurch on March 20th following the Friday attack which left scores of worshippers dead.

The visit affirmed the UAE’s full solidarity with the leadership and people of New Zealand and the country’s support for all measures taken by the government of New Zealand under Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to ensure the safety of their people and residents.

The meeting was attended by Dr Al Nuaimi and Dr Al Kaabi.