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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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
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PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The biog
Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren
Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies
Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan
Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India
Happiness: Work on creative ideas, you will also need ideals to make people happy
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
