LONDON: The pragmatism of governments and religious leaders has been at the core of countering the spread of coronavirus, the UAE’s assistant minister at the Office of Public and Cultural Diplomacy said at a webinar on Friday.
“A number of prominent and conservative, but very well established, religious leaders have sided with political leaders to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as halting Friday prayers in mosques, which are very important in Islam,” Omar Ghobash said.
The webinar, titled “Coronavirus, Reason and Religion,” was hosted by the Emirates Society in the UK and moderated by its Chairman Alistair Burt.
Ghobash praised the pragmatism of the UAE and Saudi Arabia during the pandemic, especially with the latter being home of the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah.
“Saudi Arabia has shown pragmatism, and took scientific and medical advice as well as opened discussions with consultations of the Hajj,” he said.
“The UAE was able to learn from the experiences in China and South Korea in terms of testing,” he added.
“Our particular mix of leadership and tradition shows that we’re forward looking and have a sense of continuity … We’ve always been open to knowledge,” Ghobash said.
“The UAE government has always had a technology-first focus, and it was quick to realize that Friday prayers are now a dangerous luxury.”
Among those attending the webinar were former UK Ambassador to Saudi Arabia William Patey, Rev. Andy Thompson of St. Andrews Church in Abu Dhabi, global historian and author Peter Frankopan, and the former UK Defense Attaché in Abu Dhabi Jeremy Williams.
