
On
6 August 1999, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan
Al Nahyan completed 33 years as Ruler of the Emirate
of Abu Dhabi, one of the seven emirates that together
comprise the Federation of the United Arab Emirates
(UAE), of which he has also been President since
its creation in December 1971. Having first served
in government in 1946 as Ruler's Representative
in Abu Dhabi's Eastern Region based in the inland
oasis of Al Ain, Sheikh Zayed has now provided leadership
to the country for well over half a century.
Born
around 1918 (the date is uncertain), Sheikh Zayed
is the youngest of the four sons of Sheikh Sultan
bin Zayed, Ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1922 to 1926.
He was named after his grandfather, Sheikh Zayed
bin Khalifa, who ruled the emirate from 1855 to
1909, the longest reign in the three centuries since
the Al Nahyan family emerged as leaders of the Emirate
of Abu Dhabi.
Abu
Dhabi, like the other emirates of the southern Arabian
Gulf known as the Trucial States, was then in treaty
relations with Britain. At the time Sheikh Zayed
was born the emirate was poor and undeveloped, with
an economy based primarily on fishing and pearl
diving along the coast and offshore and on simple
agriculture in scattered oases inland.
Life,
even for a young member of the ruling family, was
simple. Education was primarily confined to the
provision of instruction in the principles of Islam
from the local preacher, while modern facilities
such as roads, communications and health care were
conspicuous only by their absence. Transport was
by camel or by boat, and the harshness of the arid
climate meant that survival itself was often a major
concern.
In
early 1928, following the death of Sheikh Sultan's
successor, a family conclave selected as Ruler Sheikh
Shakhbut, Sultan's eldest son, a post he was to
hold until August 1966 when he stepped down in favour
of his brother Zayed.
During
the late 1920s and 1930s, as Sheikh Zayed grew to
manhood he displayed an early thirst for knowledge
that took him out into the desert with the bedu
tribesmen to learn all he could about the way of
life of the people and the environment in which
they lived. He recalls with pleasure his experience
of desert life and his initiation into the sport
of falconry, which has been a lifelong passion.
In his book, Falconry: Our Arab Heritage, published
in 1977, Sheikh Zayed noted that the companionship
of a hunting party:
...permits
each and every member of the expedition to speak
freely and express his ideas and viewpoints without
inhibition and restraint, and allows the one responsible
to acquaint himself with the wishes of his people,
to know their problems and perceive their views
accurately, and thus to be in a position to help
and improve their situation.
From
his desert journeys, Sheikh Zayed learned to understand
the relationship between man and his environment
and in particular, the need to ensure that sustainable
use was made of natural resources. Once an avid
shot, he abandoned the gun for falconry at the age
of 25, aware that hunting with a gun could lead
rapidly to extinction of the native wildlife.
His
travels in the remoter areas of Abu Dhabi provided
Sheikh Zayed with a deep understanding both of the
country and of its people. In the early 1930s, when
the first oil company teams arrived to carry out
preliminary surface geological surveys, he was assigned
by his brother the task of guiding them around the
desert. At the same time he obtained his first exposure
to the industry that was later to have such a great
effect upon the country.
In
1946, Sheikh Zayed was chosen to fill a vacancy
as the Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region
of Abu Dhabi, centred on the oasis of Al Ain, approximately
160 kilometres east of the island of Abu Dhabi itself.
Inhabited continuously for at least 5,000 years,
the oasis had nine villages, six of which belonged
to Abu Dhabi, and three, including Buraimi, by which
name the oasis was also known, belonged to the Sultanate
of Oman. The job included the task of not only administering
the six villages, but the whole of the adjacent
desert region, providing Sheikh Zayed with an opportunity
to learn the techniques of government. In the late
1940s and early 1950s when Saudi Arabia put forward
territorial claims to Buraimi he also gained experience
of politics on a broader scale.
Sheikh
Zayed brought to his new task a firm belief in the
values of consultation and consensus, in contrast
to confrontation. Foreign visitors, such as the
British explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger, who first
met him at this time, noted with approbation that
his judgements 'were distinguished by their astute
insights, wisdom and fairness'.
Sheikh
Zayed swiftly established himself not only as someone
who had a clear vision of what he wished to achieve
for the people of Al Ain, but also as someone who
led by example.
A
key task in the early years in Al Ain was that of
stimulating the local economy, which was largely
based on agriculture. To do this, he ensured that
the subterranean water channels, or falajes (aflaj),
were dredged and personally financed the construction
of a new one, taking part in the strenuous labour
that was involved.
He
also ordered a revision of local water ownership
rights to ensure a more equitable distribution,
surrendering the rights of his own family as an
example to others. The consequent expansion of the
area under cultivation in turn generated more income
for the residents of Al Ain, helping to re-establish
the oasis as a predominant economic centre throughout
a wide area.
With
development gradually beginning to get under way,
Sheikh Zayed commenced the laying out of a visionary
city plan, and, in a foretaste of the massive afforestation
programme of today, he also ordered the planting
of ornamental trees that now, grown to maturity,
have made Al Ain one of the greenest cities in Arabia.
In
1953 Sheikh Zayed made his first visit abroad, accompanying
his brother Shakhbut to Britain and France. He recalled
later how impressed he had been by the schools and
hospitals he visited, becoming determined that his
own people should have the benefit of similar facilities:
There
were a lot of dreams I was dreaming about our land
catching up with the modern world, but I was not
able to do anything because I did not have the wherewithal
in my hands to achieve these dreams. I was sure,
however, that one day they would become true.
Despite
constraints through lack of government revenues,
Sheikh Zayed succeeded in bringing progress to Al
Ain, establishing the rudiments of an administrative
machinery, personally funding the first modern school
in the emirate and coaxing relatives and friends
to contribute towards small-scale development programmes.
However,
the export of Abu Dhabis first cargo of crude
oil to the world market in 1962 was to provide Sheikh
Zayed with the means to fund his dreams. Although
prices for crude oil were then far lower than they
are today, the rapidly growing volume of exports
revolutionised the economy of Abu Dhabi and its
people began to look forward eagerly to some of
the benefits that were already being enjoyed by
their near-neighbours in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait
and Saudi Arabia. The pearling industry had finally
come to an end shortly after the Second World War,
and little had emerged to take its place. Indeed,
during the late 1950s and early 1960s, many of the
people of Abu Dhabi left for other oil-producing
Gulf states where there were opportunities for employment.
The
economic hardships faced by Abu Dhabi since the
1930s had accustomed the Ruler, Sheikh Shakhbut,
to a cautious frugality. Despite the growing aspirations
of his people for progress, he was reluctant to
invest the new oil revenues in development. Attempts
by members of his family, including Sheikh Zayed,
and by the leaders of the other tribes in the emirate
to persuade him to move with the times were unsuccessful,
and eventually the Al Nahyan family decided that
the time had come for him to step down. The record
of Sheikh Zayed over the previous 20 years in Al
Ain and his popularity among the people made him
the obvious choice as successor.
On
6 August 1966 Sheikh Zayed became Ruler, with a
mandate from his family to press ahead as fast as
possible with the development of Abu Dhabi.
He
was a man in a hurry. His years in Al Ain had not
only given him experience in government, but had
also provided him with the time to develop a vision
of how the emirate could progress. With revenues
growing year by year as oil production increased,
he was determined to use them in the service of
the people and a massive programme of construction
of schools, housing, hospitals and roads got rapidly
under way.
Of
his first few weeks as Ruler, Sheikh Zayed has said:
All
the picture was prepared. It was not a matter of
fresh thinking, but of simply putting into effect
the thoughts of years and years. First I knew we
had to concentrate on Abu Dhabi and public welfare.
In short, we had to obey the circumstances: the
needs of the people as a whole. Second, I wanted
to approach other emirates to work with us. In harmony,
in some sort of federation, we could follow the
example of other developing countries.
As
Abu Dhabi embarked on development, Sheikh Zayed
also turned his attention rapidly to the building
of closer relations with the other emirates:
'Federation
is the way to power, the way to strength, the way
to well-being,' he felt. 'Lesser entities have no
standing in the world today, and so has it ever
been in history.'
One
early step was to increase contributions to the
Trucial States Development Fund established a few
years earlier by the British; Abu Dhabi soon became
its largest donor. At the beginning of 1968, when
the British announced their intention of withdrawing
from the Arabian Gulf by the end of 1971, Sheikh
Zayed acted swiftly to initiate moves towards a
closer relationship with the other emirates.
Together
with the late Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin
Saeed Al Maktoum, who was to become Vice-President
and Prime Minister of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed took
the lead in calling for a federation that would
include not only the seven emirates that together
made up the Trucial States, but also Qatar and Bahrain.
When early hopes of a federation of nine states
eventually foundered, with Qatar and Bahrain opting
to preserve their separate status, Sheikh Zayed
led his fellow Rulers in agreement on the establishment
of the UAE, which formally emerged on to the international
stage on 2 December 1971.
While
his enthusiasm for federation - clearly displayed
by his willingness to spend the oil revenues of
Abu Dhabi on the development of the other emirates
- was a key factor in the formation of the UAE,
Sheikh Zayed also won support for the way in which
he sought consensus and agreement among his brother
Rulers:
I
am not imposing unity on anyone. That is tyranny.
All of us have our opinions, and these opinions
can change. Sometimes we put all opinions together,
and then extract from them a single point of view.
This is our democracy.
Sheikh
Zayed was elected by his fellow Rulers as the first
President of the UAE, a post to which he has been
successively re-elected at five-yearly intervals.
The
new state came into being at a time of political
turmoil in the region. A couple of days earlier,
on the night of 30 November and early morning of
1 December, Iran had forcibly and unlawfully seized
the islands of Abu Musa, part of Sharjah, and Greater
and Lesser Tunb.
On
land, demarcation of the borders between the individual
emirates and its neighbours had not been completed,
although a preliminary agreement had already been
reached between Abu Dhabi and Oman.
Foreign
observers, lacking an understanding of the importance
of a common history and heritage in bringing together
the people of the UAE, predicted that the new state
would survive only with difficulty, pointing to
disputes with its neighbours and to the wide disparity
in the size, population and level of development
of the seven emirates.
Better
informed about the nature of the country, Sheikh
Zayed was naturally more optimistic. Looking back
a quarter of a century later, he noted:
Our
experiment in federation, in the first instance,
arose from a desire to increase the ties that bind
us, as well as from the conviction of all that they
were part of one family, and that they must gather
together under one leadership.
We
had never (previously) had an experiment in federation,
but our proximity to each other and the ties of
blood relationships between us are factors which
led us to believe that we must establish a federation
that should compensate for the disunity and fragmentation
that earlier prevailed.
That
which has been accomplished has exceeded all our
expectations, and that, with the help of Allah and
a sincere will, confirms that there is nothing that
cannot be achieved in the service of the people
if determination is firm and intentions are sincere.
The
predictions of the pessimists at the time of the
formation of the UAE have indeed been clearly proven
to be unfounded. Over the course of the past 28
years, the UAE has not only survived, but has developed
at a rate that is almost without parallel. The country
has been utterly transformed. Its population has
risen from around 250,000 to a 1999 estimate of
2.94 million. Progress, in terms of the provision
of social services, health and education, as well
as in sectors such as communications and the oil
and non-oil economy, has brought a high standard
of living that has spread throughout the seven emirates,
from the ultra-modern cities to the remotest areas
of the desert and mountains. The change has, moreover,
taken place against a backdrop of enviable political
and social stability, despite the insecurity and
conflict that has dogged much of the rest of the
Gulf region.
At
the same time, the country has also established
itself firmly on the international scene, both within
the Gulf and Arab region and in the broader community
of nations. Its pursuit of dialogue and consensus
and its firm adherence to the tenets of the Charter
of the United Nations, in particular those dealing
with the principle of non-interference in the affairs
of other states, have been coupled with a quiet
but extensive involvement in the provision of development
assistance and humanitarian aid that, in per capita
terms, has few parallels.
There
is no doubt that the experiment in federation has
been a success and the undoubted key to the achievements
of the UAE has been the central role played by Sheikh
Zayed.
During
his years in Al Ain, he was able to develop a vision
of how the country should progress, and, since becoming
first Ruler of Abu Dhabi, and then President of
the UAE, he has devoted more than three decades
into making that vision a reality.
One
foundation of his philosophy as a leader and statesman
is that the resources of the country should be fully
utilised to the benefit of the people. The UAE is
fortunate to have been blessed with massive reserves
of oil and gas and it is through careful utilisation
of these, including the decision in 1973 that the
Government should take a controlling share of the
oil reserves and assume total ownership of associated
and non-associated gas, that the financial resources
necessary to underpin the development programme
have always been available. Indeed, there has been
sufficient to permit the Government to set aside
large amounts for investment on behalf of future
generations and, through the Abu Dhabi Investment
Authority created by Sheikh Zayed, the country now
has reserves unofficially estimated at around US
$200 billion.
The
financial resources, however, have always been regarded
by Sheikh Zayed not as a means unto themselves,
but as a tool to facilitate the development of what
he believes to be the real wealth of the country
- its people, and in particular the younger generation:
Wealth
is not money. Wealth lies in men. That is where
true power lies, the power that we value. They are
the shield behind which we seek protection. This
is what has convinced us to direct all our resources
to building the individual, and to using the wealth
with which God has provided us in the service of
the nation, so that it may grow and prosper. Unless
wealth is used in conjunction with knowledge to
plan for its use, and unless there are enlightened
intellects to direct it, its fate is to diminish
and to disappear. The greatest use that can be made
of wealth is to invest it in creating generations
of educated and trained people.
Addressing
the graduation ceremony of the first class of students
from the Emirates University in 1982, Sheikh Zayed
said:
The
building of mankind is difficult and hard. It represents,
however, the real wealth [of the country]. This
is not found in material wealth. It is made up of
men, of children and of future generations. It is
this which constitutes the real treasure. Within
this framework, Sheikh Zayed believes that all of
the country's citizens have a role to play in its
development.
Indeed
he defines it not simply as a right, but a duty.
Addressing his colleagues in the Federal Supreme
Council, he noted:
The
most important of our duties as Rulers is to raise
the standard of living of our people. To carry out
one's duty is a responsibility given by Allah, and
to follow up on work is the responsibility of everyone,
both the old and the young.
Both
men and women, he believes, should play their part.
Recognising that in the past a lack of education
and development had prevented women taking a full
role in much of the activity of society, he has
taken action to ensure that this situation does
not continue.
Although
women's advocates might argue that there is still
much to be done, the achievements have been remarkable
and the country's women are now increasingly playing
their part in political and economic life by taking
up senior positions in the public and private sectors.
In so doing, they have enjoyed full support from
the President:
Women
have the right to work everywhere. Islam affords
to women their rightful status, and encourages them
to work in all sectors, as long as they are afforded
the appropriate respect. The basic role of women
is the upbringing of children, but, over and above
that, we must offer opportunities to a woman who
chooses to perform other functions. What women have
achieved in the Emirates in only a short space of
time makes me both happy and content. We sowed our
seeds yesterday, and today the fruit has already
begun to appear. We praise Allah for the role that
women play in our society. It is clear that this
role is beneficial for both present and future generations.
Sheikh
Zayed has made it clear that he believes that the
younger generation, those who have enjoyed the fruits
of the UAE's development programme, must now take
up the burden once carried by their parents. Within
his immediate family, Sheikh Zayed has ensured that
his sons have taken up posts in government at which
they are expected to work and not simply enjoy as
sinecures. Young UAE men who have complained about
the perceived lack of employment opportunities at
an unrealistic salary level have been offered positions
on farms as agricultural labourers, so that they
may learn the dignity of work:
Work
is of great importance, and of great value in building
both individuals and societies.The size of a salary
is not a measure of the worth of an individual.
What is important is an individual's sense of dignity
and self-respect. It is my duty as the leader of
the young people of this country to encourage them
to work and to exert themselves in order to raise
their own standards and to be of service to the
country. The individual who is healthy and of a
sound mind and body but who does not work commits
a crime against himself and against society.
We
look forward to seeing in the future our sons and
daughters playing a more active role, broadening
their participation in the process of development
and shouldering their share of the responsibilities,
especially in the private sector, so as to lay the
foundations for the success of this participation
and effectiveness. At the same time, we are greatly
concerned to raise the standing and dignity of the
work ethic in our society, and to increase the percentage
of citizens in the labour force. This can be achieved
by following a realistic and well-planned approach
that will improve performance and productivity,
moving towards the long-term goal of secure and
comprehensive development.
In
this sphere, as in other areas, Sheikh Zayed has
long been concerned about the possible adverse impact
upon the younger generation of the easy life they
enjoy, so far removed from the resilient, resourceful
lifestyle of their parents. One key feature of Sheikh
Zayed's strategy of government, therefore, has been
the encouragement of initiatives designed to conserve
and cherish aspects of the traditional culture of
the people, in order to familiarise the younger
generation with the ways of their ancestors. In
his view, it is of crucial importance that the lessons
and heritage of the past are not forgotten. They
provide, he believes, an essential foundation upon
which real progress can be achieved:
History
is a continuous chain of events. The present is
only an extension of the past. He who does not know
his past cannot make the best of his present and
future, for it is from the past that we learn. We
gain experience and we take advantage of the lessons
and results [of the past]. Then we adopt the best
and that which suits our present needs, while avoiding
the mistakes made by our fathers and our grandfathers.
The new generation should have a proper appreciation
of the role played by their forefathers. They should
adopt their model, and the supreme ideal of patience,
fortitude, hard work and dedication to doing their
duty.
Once
believed to have been little more than an insignificant
backwater in the history of mankind in the Middle
East, the UAE has emerged in recent years as a country
which has played a crucial role in the development
of civilisation in the region for thousands of years.
The
first archaeological excavations in the UAE took
place 40 years ago, in 1959, with the archaeologists
benefiting extensively from the interest shown in
their work by Sheikh Zayed. Indeed he himself invited
them to visit the Al Ain area to examine remains
in and around the oasis that proved to be some of
the most important ever found in southeastern Arabia.
In the decades that have followed, Sheikh Zayed
has continued to support archaeological studies
throughout the country, eager to ensure that knowledge
of the achievements of the past becomes available
to educate and inspire the people of today.
Appropriately,
one of the most important archaeological sites has
been discovered on Abu Dhabi's western island of
Sir Bani Yas, which for more than 20 years has been
a private wildlife reserve created by Sheikh Zayed
to ensure the survival of some of Arabia's most
endangered species.
If
the heritage of the people of the UAE is important
to Sheikh Zayed, so too is the conservation of its
natural environment and wildlife. After all, he
believes the strength of character of the Emirati
people derives, in part, from the struggle that
they were obliged to wage in order to survive in
the harsh and arid local environment.
His
belief in conservation of the environment owes nothing
to modern fashion. Acknowledged by the presentation
of the prestigious Gold Panda Award from the Worldwide
Fund for Nature, it derives, instead, from his own
upbringing, living in harmony with nature. This
has led him to ensure that conservation of wildlife
and the environment is a key part of government
policy, while at the same time he has stimulated
and personally supervised a massive programme of
afforestation that has now seen over 150 million
trees planted.
In
a speech on the occasion of the UAE's first Environment
Day in February 1998 Sheikh Zayed spelt out his
beliefs:
We
cherish our environment because it is an integral
part of our country, our history and our heritage.
On land and in the sea, our forefathers lived and
survived in this environment. They were able to
do so only because they recognised the need to conserve
it, to take from it only what they needed to live,
and to preserve it for succeeding generations. With
Allah's will, we shall continue to work to protect
our environment and our wildlife, as did our forefathers
before us. It is a duty: and, if we fail, our children,
rightly, will reproach us for squandering an essential
part of their inheritance, and of our heritage.
Like
most conservationists Sheikh Zayed is concerned
wherever possible to remedy the damage done by man
to wildlife. His programme on the island of Sir
Bani Yas for the captive breeding of endangered
native animals such as the Arabian oryx and the
Arabian gazelle has achieved impressive success,
so much so that not only is the survival of both
species now assured, but animals are also carefully
being reintroduced to the wild.
As
in other areas of national life, Sheikh Zayed has
made it clear that conservation is not simply the
task of government. Despite the existence of official
institutions like the Federal Environmental Agency
and Abu Dhabi's Environmental Research and Wildlife
Development Agency, (empowered by a growing catalogue
of legislation), the UAE's President has stressed
that there is also a role both for the individual
and for non-governmental organisations, both of
citizens and expatriates.
He
believes that society can only flourish and develop
if all of its members acknowledge their responsibilities.
This does not only to concerns such as environmental
conservation, but also to other areas of national
life.
Members
of the Al Nahyan family, of which Sheikh Zayed is
the current head, have been Rulers of Abu Dhabi
since at least the beginning of the eighteenth century,
longer than any other ruling dynasty in the Arabian
peninsula. In Arabian bedu society, however, the
legitimacy of a Ruler, and of a ruling family, derives
essentially from consensus and from consent. Just
as Sheikh Zayed himself was chosen by members of
his family to become Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966,
when his elder brother was no longer able to retain
their confidence, so does the legitimacy of the
political system today derive from the support it
draws from the people of the UAE. The principle
of consultation (shura) is an essential part of
that system.
At
an informal level, that principle has long been
put into practice through the institution of the
majlis (council) where a leading member of society
holds an 'open-house' discussion forum, at which
any individual may put forward views for discussion
and consideration. While the majlis system - the
UAE's form of direct democracy - still continues,
it is naturally, best suited to a relatively small
community.
In
1970, recognising that Abu Dhabi was embarking upon
a process of rapid change and development, Sheikh
Zayed created the Emirate's National Consultative
Council, bringing together the leaders of each of
the main tribes and families which comprised the
population. A similar body was created for the UAE
as a whole, the Federal National Council, the state's
parliament,
Both
institutions represent the formalisation of the
traditional process of consultation and discussion
and their members are frequently urged by Sheikh
Zayed to express their views openly, without fear
or favour.
At
present, members of both the National Consultative
Council and the Federal National Council continue
to be selected by Sheikh Zayed and the other Rulers,
in consultation with leading members of the community
in each emirate. However, in the future, Sheikh
Zayed has said, a formula for direct elections will
be devised. He notes, however, that in this, as
in many other fields, it is necessary to move ahead
with care to ensure that only such institutions
as are appropriate for Emirati society are adopted.
Questioned
by the New York Times on the topic of the possible
introduction of an elected parliamentary democracy,
Sheikh Zayed replied:
Why
should we abandon a system that satisfies our people
in order to introduce a system that seems to engender
dissent and confrontation? Our system of government
is based upon our religion, and is what our people
want. Should they seek alternatives, we are ready
to listen to them. We have always said that our
people should voice their demands openly. We are
all in the same boat, and they are both captain
and crew.
Our
doors here are open for any opinion to be expressed,
and this is well known by all our citizens. It is
our deep conviction that Allah the Creator has created
people free, and has prescribed that each individual
must enjoy freedom of choice. No-one should act
as if he owns others. Those in a position of leadership
should deal with their subjects with compassion
and understanding, because this is the duty enjoined
upon them by God Almighty, who enjoins us to treat
all living creatures with dignity. How can there
be anything less for man, created as Allah's vice-gerent
on earth? Our system of government does not derive
its authority from man, but is enshrined in our
religion, and is based on God's book, the Holy Quran.
What need have we of what others have conjured up?
Its teachings are eternal and complete, while the
systems conjured up by man are transitory and incomplete.
Sheikh
Zayed imbibed the principles of Islam in his childhood
and it remains the foundation of his beliefs and
philosophy today. Indeed, the ability with which
he and the people of the UAE have been able to absorb
and adjust to the remarkable changes of the past
few decades can be ascribed largely to the fact
that Islam has provided an unchanging and immutable
core of their lives. Today, it provides the inspiration
for the UAE judicial system and its place as the
ultimate source of legislation is enshrined in the
country's constitution.
Islam,
like other divinely revealed religions, has those
among its claimed adherents who purport to interpret
its message as justifying harsh dogmas and intolerance.
In Sheikh Zayed's view, however, such an approach
is not merely a perversion of the message but is
directly contrary to it. Extremism, he believes,
has no place in Islam. In contrast, he stresses
that:
Islam
is a civilising religion that gives mankind dignity.
A Muslim is he who does not inflict evil upon others.
Islam is the religion of tolerance and forgiveness,
and not of war, of dialogue and understanding. It
is Islamic social justice which has asked every
Muslim to respect the other. To treat every person,
no matter what his creed or race, as a special soul
is a mark of Islam. It is just that point, embodied
in the humanitarian tenets of Islam, that makes
us so proud of it.
Within
that context, Sheikh Zayed has set his face firmly
against those who preach intolerance and hatred:
In
these times we see around us violent men who claim
to talk on behalf of Islam. Islam is far removed
from their talk. If such people really wish for
recognition from Muslims and the world, they should
themselves first heed the words of God and His Prophet.
Regrettably, however, these people have nothing
whatsoever that connects them to Islam. They are
apostates and criminals. We see them slaughtering
children and the innocent. They kill people, spill
their blood and destroy their property, and then
claim to be Muslims.
Sheikh
Zayed is an eager advocate of tolerance, discussion
and a better understanding between those of different
faiths, recognising that this is essential if mankind
is to ever move forward in harmony. His faith is
well summed up by a statement explaining the essential
basis of his own beliefs:
'My
religion is based neither on hope, nor on fear,
I worship my Allah because I love him.'
That
faith, with its belief in the brotherhood of man
and in the duty incumbent upon the strong to provide
assistance to those less fortunate than themselves,
is fundamental to Sheikh Zayed's vision of how his
country and people should develop. It is, too, a
key to the foreign policy of the UAE, which he has
devised and guided since the establishment of the
state.
The
UAE itself has been able to progress only because
of the way in which its component parts have successfully
been able to come together in a relationship of
harmony, working together for common goals.
Within
the Arabian Gulf region, and in the broader Arab
world, the UAE has sought to enhance cooperation
and to resolve disagreement through a calm pursuit
of dialogue and consensus. Thus one of the central
features of the country's foreign policy has been
the development of closer ties with its neighbours
in the Arabian peninsula. The Arab Gulf Cooperation
Council, (AGCC) grouping the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi
Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, was founded at
a summit conference held in Abu Dhabi in 1981, and
has since become, with strong UAE support, an effective
and widely-respected grouping.
Intended
to facilitate the development of closer ties between
its members and to enable them to work together
to ensure their security, the AGCC has faced two
major external challenges during its short lifetime:
first, the long and costly conflict in the 1980s
between Iraq and Iran, which itself prompted the
Council's formation and second, the August 1990
invasion by Iraq of one of its members, Kuwait.
Following
the invasion of Kuwait, President Zayed was one
of the first Arab leaders to offer support to its
people and units from the UAE armed forces played
a significant role in the alliance that liberated
the Gulf state in early 1991.
While
fully supporting the international condemnation
of the policies of the Iraqi regime and the sanctions
imposed on Iraq by the United Nations (UN) during
and after the conflict, the UAE has, however, expressed
its serious concern about the impact that the sanctions
have had upon the country's people. In his interview
with the New York Times in mid-1998, Sheikh Zayed
noted:
Moderate
states in the Arab world recognise that Saddam [Hussein]
did injustice, and received the appropriate response.
He paid the price, and sanctions have now been imposed
on Iraq for seven years.
Now,
Iraq is sick, tired, hungry and naked. How can you
continue to impose sanctions on it for ever in a
situation like this? It [Iraq] should not continue
to receive punishment, and should no longer have
sanctions imposed upon it. We believe that the time
has come to say that enough is enough.
Continuing
to argue forcefully for a lifting of sanctions,
the UAE has, at the same, time, provided an extensive
amount of humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people,
ensuring, as far as possible, that the aid reaches
those for whom it is intended.
Another
key focus of the UAE's foreign policy in an Arab
context has been the provision of support to the
Palestinian people in their efforts to regain their
legitimate rights to self-determination and to the
establishment of their own state. As early as 1968,
before the formation of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed extended
generous assistance to Palestinian organisations,
and has done so throughout the last three decades,
although he has always believed that it is for the
Palestinians themselves to determine their own policies.
Following
the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in
Gaza and on parts of the occupied West Bank, the
UAE has provided substantial help for the building
of a national infrastructure, including not only
houses, roads, schools and hospitals, but also for
the refurbishment of Muslim and Christian sites
in the city of Jerusalem. While much of the aid
has been bilateral, the UAE has also taken part
in development programmes funded by multilateral
agencies and groupings and has long been a major
contributor to the United Nations Relief Works Agency
(UNRWA).
Substantial
amounts of aid have also been given to a number
of other countries in the Arab world, such as Lebanon,
to help it recover from the devastation caused by
over a decade of civil war, and to less-developed
countries such as Yemen.
Sheikh
Zayed has a deeply held belief in the cherished
objective of greater political and economic unity
within the Arab world. At the same time, however,
he has long adopted a realistic approach on the
issue, recognising that to be effective any unity
must grow slowly and with the support of the people.
Arab unity, he believes, is not something that can
simply be created through decrees of governments
that may be temporary, political phenomena.
That
approach has been tried and tested both at the level
of the UAE itself, which is the longest-lived experiment
in recent times in Arab unity, and at the level
of the Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council.
On
a broader plane, Sheikh Zayed has sought consistently
to promote greater understanding and consensus between
Arab countries and to reinvigorate the League of
Arab States. Relations between the Arab leaders,
he believes, should be based on openness and frankness:
They
must make it clear to each other that each one of
them needs the other, and they should understand
that only through mutual support can they survive
in times of need.
A
brother should tell his brother: you support me,
and I will support you, when you are in the right.
But not when you are in the wrong. If I am in the
right, you should support and help me, and help
to remove the results of any injustice that has
been imposed on me. Wise and mature leaders should
listen to sound advice, and should take the necessary
action to correct their mistakes. As for those leaders
who are unwise or immature, they can be brought
to the right path through advice from their sincere
friends.
Within
that context, and since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
which split the Arab world asunder, Sheikh Zayed
has consistently argued for the holding of a new
Arab summit conference at which leaders can honestly
and frankly address the disputes between them. Only
thus, he believes, can the Arab world as a whole
move forward to tackle the challenges that face
it, both internally and on the broader international
plane:
I
believe that an all-inclusive Arab summit must be
held, but before attending it, the Arabs must open
their hearts to each other and be frank with each
other about the rifts between them and their wounds.
They should then come to the summit, to make the
necessary corrections to their policies, to address
the issues, to heal their wounds and to affirm that
the destiny of the Arabs is one, both for the weak
and the strong. At the same time, they should not
concede their rights, or ask for what is not rightfully
theirs.
The
UAE President acknowledges, however, that unanimity,
although desirable, cannot always be achieved. He
has, therefore, been the only Arab leader to openly
advocate a revision of the Charter of the League
of Arab States to permit decisions to be taken on
the basis of the will of the majority. Such has
been the experience of the society from which he
comes, and such has been one of the foundations
of the success of the federal experiment in the
UAE. It is time, he believes, that a similar approach
was adopted within the broader Arab world.
This
should not, however, mean that essential rights
and principles should be set aside; these include,
of course, the principle of the inviolability of
the integrity of Arab territories.
This
principle has been a matter of major concern to
the UAE since its formation, due to the Iranian
occupation in 1971 of the UAE islands of Abu Musa
and Greater and Lesser Tunb. That occupation was
undertaken in contravention of all norms of international
law and of the Charter of the United Nations.
Successive
governments in Iran have continually consolidated
their military hold over the islands and have failed
to respond to efforts by the UAE to resolve the
issue. The UAE in turn, has never abandoned its
attempts to regain its rights over the islands.
Iran, however, has rejected the UAE suggestion that
the matter be referred to the International Court
of Justice and it has also stated that while it
is willing to hold bilateral negotiations, these
would only deal with what it describes as 'misunderstandings',
failing to acknowledge that a question of sovereignty
exists.
While
Sheikh Zayed wishes to see an improvement in relations
with Iran, not only a near-neighbour of the Emirates
but also a fellow Muslim state, he has made it clear
that a concrete and positive initiative is now required
from the Iranian side. 'It is said that [Iranian]
President Khatami wants to pursue a policy of openness
towards his neighbours and the world, but we are
still waiting [for action].'
Here,
as on other foreign policy issues, Sheikh Zayed
has consistently adopted a firm but calmly worded
approach, eschewing rhetoric that could make the
search for a solution to problems more difficult.
In
recent years, the conflicts ensuing from the disintegration
of the former Yugoslavia have been the cause of
considerable concern. Prior to the imposition of
a peace in Bosnia by the western industrialised
powers, Sheikh Zayed's frustration with the continued
slaughter of Bosnian Muslims was scarcely concealed.
Commenting
to the Emirates News Agency, WAM, at the height
of the Serbian campaign of 'ethnic cleansing' against
the Muslims, he said that the UN seemed 'enfeebled
like a dead machine' in the face of Serbian atrocities:
It
is as if the United Nations has been turned into
stone, with no feeling or compassion for the agony
of the Bosnian people.
We
call on all people with a conscience, those who
believe in justice and who deplore aggression and
unjust wars to stand up against the horrors being
perpetrated against the innocent people of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The
world has to move forcefully to put an end to the
horrifying tragedy. Governments must move now to
enable the people of that besieged country to defend
themselves. The right of self-defence is the most
basic human and elementary right.
Once
the international community had forced the Serbs
to cease their campaign of slaughter in Bosnia,
Sheikh Zayed promptly moved to ensure that substantial
assistance was sent by the UAE to enable the Bosnian
Muslims to begin the task of rebuilding their society.
The
lessons of the Bosnian tragedy were not, however,
lost on Sheikh Zayed. The time had come, he recognised,
for the UAE itself to play a more proactive role
in international peacekeeping operations.
The
UAEs armed forces had already begun to establish
a record in such peacekeeping activities, first
as part of the joint Arab Deterrent Force that sought
for a few years to bring to an end the civil strife
in Lebanon, and then through participation in UNISOM
TWO, the UN peacekeeping and reconstruction force
in Somalia.
In
early 1999, as a new campaign of Serbian atrocities
began to get under way against the Albanian population
of Kosovo, Sheikh Zayed was among the first world
leaders to express support for the decision by the
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to launch
its aerial campaign to force Serbia to halt its
genocidal activities.
Recognising
early on in the campaign that there would be a need
for an international peacekeeping force once the
NATO campaign ended, Sheikh Zayed ordered that the
UAEs armed forces should be a part of any
such force operating under the aegis of the UN.
In late 1999, with the UN's KFOR force in place
in Kosovo, the contingent from the UAE was the largest
taking part from any of the non-NATO states.
While
ensuring that the UAE should now increasingly come
to shoulder such international responsibilities,
however, Sheikh Zayed has also made it clear that
the UAE's role is one that is focused on relief
and rehabilitation.
In
the Balkans and in other countries, the policy adopted
by the UAE clearly reflects the desire of Sheikh
Zayed to utilise the good fortune of his country
to provide assistance to those less fortunate. Through
bodies like the Zayed Foundation and the Abu Dhabi
Fund for Development, established by Sheikh Zayed
before the foundation of the UAE, as well as through
institutions like the Red Crescent Society, chaired
by his son, Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the
country now plays a major role in the provision
of relief and development assistance worldwide.
In
essence, the philosophy of Sheikh Zayed, derived
from his deeply held Muslim faith, is that it is
the duty of man to seek to improve the lot of his
fellow man. His record in over half a century in
government, first within the UAE and then concurrently
on a broader international plane, is an indication
of the dedication and seriousness with which he
has sought to carry out that belief.
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