Tolerance in Persian Gulf, Not Sectarianism

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Hassan Al-Mustafa, a Saudi journalist, wrote an article in AL Riyadh Newspaper on January 10 titled “No to Sectarianism in the [Persian] Gulf”, in which he quoted Phrases from the speech of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Foreign Minister of UAE about the dangerous of sectarianism in the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly, which took place in September last year.The Minister warned citizens from sectarianism saying that “it is a significant issue which incites violence and it needs to be address”.Al-Mustafa added that Arab countries were known of tolerance and coexistence over centuries, but when religion turned to be political and used for exclusion and marginalization the situation has changed. Religious discourse becomes used as a mean to incite violence and abuse against other sects.He explained that incitement, has taken different forms including verbal abuse, armed attacks such as killing and bombing. These violence attacks have caused fragmentation in the Arab communities and threatening national unity.He added that Sectarian violence appears in Iraq and Syria, where armed parties are more active. Explosions in Lebanon as well have led to exacerbate tension between sects there.Al-Mustafa concluded that the call of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed to fight extremism and sectarianism should be the priority of governments in the [Persian] Gulf. Sedition discourse in TV channels and social communication networks and scenes of killing in Syria and Iraq fueled hatred and exacerbate tension between sects. /129