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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 Dhabi’s 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
UAE’s 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 UAE’s 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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