To Check (View / Download) UAE Federal Labour Law and Other related documents related to Ministry of Labour, See the below given link.
http://www.mol.gov.ae/molinfo/showAttach.aspx?parent=0&refid=72
Saturday, December 27, 2008
To Check a Particular Company Details
You can have the Company Details by using the below given link. For this details, you need your Company Number (that registered with Ministry of Labour)
To Check the Details of Your Labour Card
Go to the below given link and enter your Labour Card No. (You can find this on your Labour Card)
TO CHECK YOUR WORK PERMIT STATUS (UAE)
Go to this Web Site and Enter Your Work Permit No. (You can see this on your Labour Card)
http://www.emol.ae/services/WorkPermitStatus.aspx
http://www.emol.ae/services/WorkPermitStatus.aspx
Friday, December 26, 2008
Passengers claim Sharjah taxi drivers overcharging
By Mariam M. Al Serkal, Staff Reporter (Gulf News) Published: December 26, 2008, 23:39
Sharjah: New taxi fares are causing dismay among passengers, some of whom claim taxi drivers are overcharging them.
Sriram Subramanian, a Sharjah resident, said his fare for travelling to Dubai was charged twice, on several occasions last week.
"My family and I went to Dubai Mall from Sharjah and the fare started from Dh20. When we arrived at our destination the fare was Dh71.25. When the taxi stopped and while I was taking out my wallet, the meter jumped to Dh91," he said.
The new taxi charge - requiring drivers to start their meters at Dh20 for all trips from Sharjah to Dubai - was imposed as of December 1.
Subramanian was shocked at the additional charge at the end of his trip, and after a long quarrel the taxi driver agreed to take Dh71 and Dh10 for Salik. However, the minimum taxi fare within Sharjah remains that same at Dh2.50 during the day and Dh3.30 at night.
Overcharged again
The second occasion where Subramanian was overcharged was while commuting through Sharjah. "When the car stopped, the meter was showing Dh5.75 and suddenly it jumped to Dh6.50. After discussing it, the driver finally accepted Dh6," he said.
Subramian's claims were unable to be verified by the concerned authorities as he did not note down the franchise's name or the taxi's serial number.
There are currently five franchise taxi companies regulated by Sharjah Transport Authority that include Advantage Taxi, Union Taxi, City Taxi, Emirates Taxi and Sharjah Taxi.
An official at City Taxi explained that if passengers do not note down the taxi number, they are still able to file a complaint by visiting the head office.
"This incident sounds impossible. But if the passenger has such a complaint, it is important to sort it out face-to-face with the complaint section. All companies have a trip sheet that documents the drivers' trips, and from that we will be able to see which driver is at fault and why it happened," said Mohammad Rostum Hassan, supervisor at City Taxi.
He added that if passengers have the taxi details, then the matter can be quickly resolved over the telephone.
Sharjah: New taxi fares are causing dismay among passengers, some of whom claim taxi drivers are overcharging them.
Sriram Subramanian, a Sharjah resident, said his fare for travelling to Dubai was charged twice, on several occasions last week.
"My family and I went to Dubai Mall from Sharjah and the fare started from Dh20. When we arrived at our destination the fare was Dh71.25. When the taxi stopped and while I was taking out my wallet, the meter jumped to Dh91," he said.
The new taxi charge - requiring drivers to start their meters at Dh20 for all trips from Sharjah to Dubai - was imposed as of December 1.
Subramanian was shocked at the additional charge at the end of his trip, and after a long quarrel the taxi driver agreed to take Dh71 and Dh10 for Salik. However, the minimum taxi fare within Sharjah remains that same at Dh2.50 during the day and Dh3.30 at night.
Overcharged again
The second occasion where Subramanian was overcharged was while commuting through Sharjah. "When the car stopped, the meter was showing Dh5.75 and suddenly it jumped to Dh6.50. After discussing it, the driver finally accepted Dh6," he said.
Subramian's claims were unable to be verified by the concerned authorities as he did not note down the franchise's name or the taxi's serial number.
There are currently five franchise taxi companies regulated by Sharjah Transport Authority that include Advantage Taxi, Union Taxi, City Taxi, Emirates Taxi and Sharjah Taxi.
An official at City Taxi explained that if passengers do not note down the taxi number, they are still able to file a complaint by visiting the head office.
"This incident sounds impossible. But if the passenger has such a complaint, it is important to sort it out face-to-face with the complaint section. All companies have a trip sheet that documents the drivers' trips, and from that we will be able to see which driver is at fault and why it happened," said Mohammad Rostum Hassan, supervisor at City Taxi.
He added that if passengers have the taxi details, then the matter can be quickly resolved over the telephone.
DNRD to remain open during holidays
WAM (Gulf News) Published: December 26, 2008, 22:19
Abu Dhabi: Work will proceed as usual in the morning shifts at the Departments of Naturalisation and Residency nationwide, which will receive customers this coming Sunday and Thursday.
Brigadier Nasser Al Menhali, Acting Director General of Naturalisation and Residency said that the department will offer its services on the days that mark the first of Muharram 1430H and January 1, 2009.
Both days were announced by the Civil Service Bureau (SCB) as public holidays to mark the beginning of the new Hijri year of 1430 and New Year's Day 2009 respectively.
Abu Dhabi: Work will proceed as usual in the morning shifts at the Departments of Naturalisation and Residency nationwide, which will receive customers this coming Sunday and Thursday.
Brigadier Nasser Al Menhali, Acting Director General of Naturalisation and Residency said that the department will offer its services on the days that mark the first of Muharram 1430H and January 1, 2009.
Both days were announced by the Civil Service Bureau (SCB) as public holidays to mark the beginning of the new Hijri year of 1430 and New Year's Day 2009 respectively.
Non-competition clause does not apply if employer fails the contract
By Wafa Eisa, Staff Reporter (Gulf News) Published: December 26, 2008, 23:39
Dubai: The clause included in employment contracts to prevent an employee from working for a competitor does not apply if the employer does not meet the contract obligations, said a senior Ministry of Labour official.
Humaid Bin Deemas, Acting Director General at the ministry, said that an employer cannot ask to enforce a ban on a worker who joined a competitor if he did not fulfil his contractual obligations.
Deemas was commenting on an employer who asked the ministry to enforce a ban on one of his previous employees because he broke the non competition clause but the ministry refused as the employer did not meet his contractual obligations according to a court ruling.
Restriction to freedom
"The non competition clause is a restriction to the worker's freedom therefore they are several rules that limit the use of the competition clause," said Deemas adding that it should not be applied without regulations.
The non competition clause should not be applied for anybody who is below 21 years, it should only be applied for jobs in which the employee would have had access to the company's secrets or acquainted with its clients.
Also it should be only for a limited time period, according to article 127 in the labour law.
There are 2800 professions registered at the ministry of labour out of which only some can have a non competition clause to be included in the employment contract, according to Deemas.
"It is important to understand that the non competition clause cannot be used merely as a mean to prevent the movement of workers and cannot be applied for all job categories." said Deemas. "The real purpose of the clause is to safeguard the employer's lawful interests," said Deemas.
"If a non competition clause is applied for example for constructions workers it is immediately considered not valid as the nature of the job does not enable the worker not have access on companies' secrets or make him interact with its clients," he said.
Dubai: The clause included in employment contracts to prevent an employee from working for a competitor does not apply if the employer does not meet the contract obligations, said a senior Ministry of Labour official.
Humaid Bin Deemas, Acting Director General at the ministry, said that an employer cannot ask to enforce a ban on a worker who joined a competitor if he did not fulfil his contractual obligations.
Deemas was commenting on an employer who asked the ministry to enforce a ban on one of his previous employees because he broke the non competition clause but the ministry refused as the employer did not meet his contractual obligations according to a court ruling.
Restriction to freedom
"The non competition clause is a restriction to the worker's freedom therefore they are several rules that limit the use of the competition clause," said Deemas adding that it should not be applied without regulations.
The non competition clause should not be applied for anybody who is below 21 years, it should only be applied for jobs in which the employee would have had access to the company's secrets or acquainted with its clients.
Also it should be only for a limited time period, according to article 127 in the labour law.
There are 2800 professions registered at the ministry of labour out of which only some can have a non competition clause to be included in the employment contract, according to Deemas.
"It is important to understand that the non competition clause cannot be used merely as a mean to prevent the movement of workers and cannot be applied for all job categories." said Deemas. "The real purpose of the clause is to safeguard the employer's lawful interests," said Deemas.
"If a non competition clause is applied for example for constructions workers it is immediately considered not valid as the nature of the job does not enable the worker not have access on companies' secrets or make him interact with its clients," he said.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
MoL Wants More Jobs for Emiratis
Adel Arafah (Khaleej Times) - 17 December 2008
ABU DHABI - The Ministry of Labour (MoL) has proposed restructuring of visa fees for bringing in expatriate workers in a bid to create more job opportunities for Emiratis, according to a plan unveiled on Tuesday.
Minister of Labour Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash told the Federal National Council (FNC) session that the ministry wants to encourage skilled expatriate workers to come to the UAE.
However, the government is under pressure to find jobs for 250,000 nationals to raise the strength of the UAE national workforce to 500,000 by 2020. Reminding the national jobseekers that the public sector would not accept more newcomers, the minister urged them to foray into the private sector.
On the expatriate workers, the ministry proposes to reduce the visa fees of highly skilled professionals and increase the fees for bringing menial and unskilled workers into the country.
The plan would be submitted to the National Demographic Structure Committee soon to decide on its enforcement. “The Federal Government is in the process of forming a permanent council for demographic structure with a mandate of finding drastic solutions to the issue,’’ Saeed Ghobash revealed.
The council would restructure the economic pattern so as to diversify the labour market in the country to create new job openings.
He noted that 65 per cent of the expatriate workers in the country are in the construction and retail sectors.
“We are also drafting another plan to tackle the imbalance in the demographic structure through extensive use of modern machinery by the public and private sectors.” This move, in his view, would eliminate unwanted workforce.
Members of the FNC, meanwhile, proposed to the MoL to consider varying fees for bringing in workers in accordance with the importance of the business and the economic activity for which they are to be employed.
Fees could be reduced for companies with high productive value, with aim of boosting the trend towards less number of employees but adopting advanced technology.
The house also called for increasing fees for bringing in menial workers, such as those involved in retail sale outlets, small restaurants, food outlets and
cafeterias. It also recommended specifying the quotas for employing non-Arab nationalities according to the geographical regions they belong to.
adel@khaleejtimes.com
India Plans System to Track Citizens Abroad
By Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter (Gulf NEws) Last updated: December 16, 2008, 00:08
Abu Dhabi: The Government of India is planning a new system to track the number of Indians abroad since presently there are only estimates of its citizens, a senior Indian official told Gulf News.
The current system tracks those workers who go through immigration clearance but not the professionals (who do not require clearance), said K. Mohandas, Secretary in the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), speaking to Gulf News by phone from New Delhi.
"Even the exact number of labourers is not available because we are unable to count the returnees (expatriates who return home after some time)". These are the factors which make the exact estimate impossible, he said.
Majority from Kerala
"The approximate number of Indians in the UAE is 1.5 million. Saudi Arabia also hosts approximately 1.5 million out of the total 5 million Indians in the Gulf countries (including workers and professionals).
The official said a majority of them are labourers and more than 50 per cent could be from the South Indian state of Kerala.
People from other South Indian States like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are the other major groups.
Out of approximately 30 million Indians abroad, about 12 million are Indian citizens working abroad and about 18 million are People of Indian Origin (PIO - those who have citizenship of other countries but migrated from India a long time ago).
In 2007, about 800,000 Indian workers went abroad (who went through immigration clearance). The proposed system will provide the exact number of Indians living abroad, he said.
Amendment: Revision of fees
During his recent visit to the UAE, Mohandas told Gulf News that India will raise the existing ceiling of Rs3,000 (Dh 225) as transaction fee to be charged by recruitment agencies. "It is too low to cover the actual recruitment expense and makes it impossible to take action against unscrupulous agents," he said.
The Government of India will soon amend the immigration laws to raise the ceiling, said the official. He said although a new ceiling has not been finalised, the government is thinking of fixing a month's salary of a prospective candidate as the transaction fee.
Abu Dhabi: The Government of India is planning a new system to track the number of Indians abroad since presently there are only estimates of its citizens, a senior Indian official told Gulf News.
The current system tracks those workers who go through immigration clearance but not the professionals (who do not require clearance), said K. Mohandas, Secretary in the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), speaking to Gulf News by phone from New Delhi.
"Even the exact number of labourers is not available because we are unable to count the returnees (expatriates who return home after some time)". These are the factors which make the exact estimate impossible, he said.
Majority from Kerala
"The approximate number of Indians in the UAE is 1.5 million. Saudi Arabia also hosts approximately 1.5 million out of the total 5 million Indians in the Gulf countries (including workers and professionals).
The official said a majority of them are labourers and more than 50 per cent could be from the South Indian state of Kerala.
People from other South Indian States like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are the other major groups.
Out of approximately 30 million Indians abroad, about 12 million are Indian citizens working abroad and about 18 million are People of Indian Origin (PIO - those who have citizenship of other countries but migrated from India a long time ago).
In 2007, about 800,000 Indian workers went abroad (who went through immigration clearance). The proposed system will provide the exact number of Indians living abroad, he said.
Amendment: Revision of fees
During his recent visit to the UAE, Mohandas told Gulf News that India will raise the existing ceiling of Rs3,000 (Dh 225) as transaction fee to be charged by recruitment agencies. "It is too low to cover the actual recruitment expense and makes it impossible to take action against unscrupulous agents," he said.
The Government of India will soon amend the immigration laws to raise the ceiling, said the official. He said although a new ceiling has not been finalised, the government is thinking of fixing a month's salary of a prospective candidate as the transaction fee.
FNC Proposes Increasing Minimum Salary Needed to Apply for Family Visa
By Samir Salama, Associate Editor (Gulf News) Published: December 16, 2008, 13:56
Abu Dhabi: The Federal National Council (FNC) on Tuesday proposed increasing the minimum salary requirement to sponsor families of expatriates in the UAE.According to the proposal, the minimum salary required for an expatriate - without company accommodation - to sponsor family should be Dh10,000 and an expatriate with company accommodation: Dh8,000. The FNC resumed its session on Tuesday after National Day and Eid holidays on Tuesday. An Ad-hoc committee of the House also suggested that family-visa applicants should be asked to submit bank statements of six months, detailing salary transfer. The House also suggested that an expatriate with a minimum salary of Dh15,000 should only be allowed to sponsor housemaids. It also recommended increasing the annual fee for sponsoring a housemaid to Dh7,000.
Abu Dhabi: The Federal National Council (FNC) on Tuesday proposed increasing the minimum salary requirement to sponsor families of expatriates in the UAE.According to the proposal, the minimum salary required for an expatriate - without company accommodation - to sponsor family should be Dh10,000 and an expatriate with company accommodation: Dh8,000. The FNC resumed its session on Tuesday after National Day and Eid holidays on Tuesday. An Ad-hoc committee of the House also suggested that family-visa applicants should be asked to submit bank statements of six months, detailing salary transfer. The House also suggested that an expatriate with a minimum salary of Dh15,000 should only be allowed to sponsor housemaids. It also recommended increasing the annual fee for sponsoring a housemaid to Dh7,000.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Committed a Salik Offence? Check Web Site to Find Out
(Staff Reporter-Khaleej Times)14 December 2008
DUBAI - Motorists wishing to verify their Salik offences now have the option of viewing the image of their vehicles at the Salik web site (www.salik.ae), the Roads and Transport Authority announced on Saturday.
Senior officials said that upon accessing the account at the portal, a motorist can check the offences made and even screen the image of the vehicle involved in addition to other details.
Maitha bin Adai, the CEO of Traffic and Roads Agency at the RTA said the service aims to inform Salik users of the offences in connection with their vehicles in a timely manner without any suspicion about the identity .
“Once the user accesses the personal account at the Salik portal, he or she can avail of all the features on the web site,” Maitha said.
“This includes reviewing entries of offences reported in a timely manner and establishing the identity of the offender through a high definition image of the vehicle.”
The official added: “This service, like the other services on offer at the website, enhances the confidence of the public in the system and the services offered.”
“The web site enables subscribers to top up their accounts through a number of options, including credit cards, e-dirham and direct debit from the bank account in coordination with the e-Government of Dubai,” Maitha said.
Services also include the Interactive Voice Response enabling users to check their account balances and process requests for receiving account numbers and pin codes through SMS.
These features are available by contacting the Salik call centre (800-72454) and following the voice directions.
DUBAI - Motorists wishing to verify their Salik offences now have the option of viewing the image of their vehicles at the Salik web site (www.salik.ae), the Roads and Transport Authority announced on Saturday.
Senior officials said that upon accessing the account at the portal, a motorist can check the offences made and even screen the image of the vehicle involved in addition to other details.
Maitha bin Adai, the CEO of Traffic and Roads Agency at the RTA said the service aims to inform Salik users of the offences in connection with their vehicles in a timely manner without any suspicion about the identity .
“Once the user accesses the personal account at the Salik portal, he or she can avail of all the features on the web site,” Maitha said.
“This includes reviewing entries of offences reported in a timely manner and establishing the identity of the offender through a high definition image of the vehicle.”
The official added: “This service, like the other services on offer at the website, enhances the confidence of the public in the system and the services offered.”
“The web site enables subscribers to top up their accounts through a number of options, including credit cards, e-dirham and direct debit from the bank account in coordination with the e-Government of Dubai,” Maitha said.
Services also include the Interactive Voice Response enabling users to check their account balances and process requests for receiving account numbers and pin codes through SMS.
These features are available by contacting the Salik call centre (800-72454) and following the voice directions.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
No Parking Fee in Dubai till December 11, 2008
Staff Reporter (Khaleej Times) 2 December 2008
DUBAI - There is good news for motorists in Dubai as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Monday that there would be no parking fees during the holidays of the National Day and Eid Al Adha from today to December 11.
However, there would be no leniency towards people parking vehicles in prohibited areas and parking spaces designated for people with special needs, it said in a Press release issued on Monday.
The RTA urged users of public parking lots to cooperate and allow visitors and residents to make use of the exemption and not park vehicles in the lots for extended periods.
This is particularly important in areas that witness traffic congestion during such celebrations.
riyasbabu@khaleejtimes.com
DUBAI - There is good news for motorists in Dubai as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Monday that there would be no parking fees during the holidays of the National Day and Eid Al Adha from today to December 11.
However, there would be no leniency towards people parking vehicles in prohibited areas and parking spaces designated for people with special needs, it said in a Press release issued on Monday.
The RTA urged users of public parking lots to cooperate and allow visitors and residents to make use of the exemption and not park vehicles in the lots for extended periods.
This is particularly important in areas that witness traffic congestion during such celebrations.
riyasbabu@khaleejtimes.com
Sharjah Water Festival Begins
Dhanusha Gokulan (Khaleej Times) 3 December 2008
SHARJAH - The spirit of nationalism was in full view as the Sharjah Water Festival 2008 kicked off in Al Majaz Park on Tuesday with children and adults wearing dresses in colours of the national flag and waving small flags enjoyed the activities.
The festival was inaugurated by Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasmi, Chairman of the Sharjah Department of Commerce and Tourism Authority in the presence of Mohammed Ali Al Nounan, Director-General of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism and other dignitaries.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Sultan bin Ahmed said the fact that beginning of this year’s festival coincided with the UAE National Day would give an added boost to tourism in Sharjah.
He highlighted the significance of the mascot of the water festival, ‘Mouj’ which means wave. Mouj was created to instil the importance of water conservation in children, he said.
“Mouj is both an entertaining as well as an educative figure. Children love characters and cartoon images, so we tried to instil the importance of water conservation in kids through Mouj.”
Over a hundred families were seen waving the national flag and enjoying the various activities being held at Majaz Park and the Khalid Lagoon.
This reporter caught up with Rabeea Al Zaabi, an Emirati woman, and her children when they were checking out the stilt walkers who were entertaining the crowd. “Today is an important day and I have made tailor-made clothes in colours of the national flag for my children so that they understand and develop a sense of nationalism and pride in being a UAE national,” said Rabeea.
Abdul Nasser, an Egyptian, said, “It is colourful and entertaining here. I think it is a perfect way to spend the holidays with the family. The good weather and manageable crowd add to the pleasure of being in this place.” The crowd cheered performers of traditional dances and acrobatics. The festival is set to continue till December 13.
SHARJAH - The spirit of nationalism was in full view as the Sharjah Water Festival 2008 kicked off in Al Majaz Park on Tuesday with children and adults wearing dresses in colours of the national flag and waving small flags enjoyed the activities.
The festival was inaugurated by Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasmi, Chairman of the Sharjah Department of Commerce and Tourism Authority in the presence of Mohammed Ali Al Nounan, Director-General of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism and other dignitaries.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Sultan bin Ahmed said the fact that beginning of this year’s festival coincided with the UAE National Day would give an added boost to tourism in Sharjah.
He highlighted the significance of the mascot of the water festival, ‘Mouj’ which means wave. Mouj was created to instil the importance of water conservation in children, he said.
“Mouj is both an entertaining as well as an educative figure. Children love characters and cartoon images, so we tried to instil the importance of water conservation in kids through Mouj.”
Over a hundred families were seen waving the national flag and enjoying the various activities being held at Majaz Park and the Khalid Lagoon.
This reporter caught up with Rabeea Al Zaabi, an Emirati woman, and her children when they were checking out the stilt walkers who were entertaining the crowd. “Today is an important day and I have made tailor-made clothes in colours of the national flag for my children so that they understand and develop a sense of nationalism and pride in being a UAE national,” said Rabeea.
Abdul Nasser, an Egyptian, said, “It is colourful and entertaining here. I think it is a perfect way to spend the holidays with the family. The good weather and manageable crowd add to the pleasure of being in this place.” The crowd cheered performers of traditional dances and acrobatics. The festival is set to continue till December 13.
Expats Fete Tolerant UAE
By Joyce Njeri, Copy Editor (Gulf News) Published: December 02, 2008, 23:25
Dubai: The UAE has come a long way and, without doubt, expatriates have found in the country a home away from home and an environment in which they can exercise their religious freedom unhindered.
The latest International Religious Freedom Report released by the US Department of State says that while Islam is the official religion of the UAE, the government follows a policy of tolerance towards non-Muslim religious groups.
The report quotes leading Christian figures such as the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia, who showered plaudits on the UAE's leadership for its encouragement of inter-faith dialogue and the country's role in spreading tolerance and promoting coexistence among various faiths.
Local Christian denomination leaders who spoke to Gulf News unanimously praised the UAE authorities. And as the country marked its 37th National Day on Tuesday, the Christian community joined in celebrating the achievements of the UAE.
In Dubai, Reverend Dr V. Dilkumarthe Senior, overseeing minister of King's Revival Church International Ministries, said: "This is a memorable, blessed day for this lovely nation of the UAE. Even though the whole world is passing through times of various uncertainties in areas such as finance, terrorism and wars, this nation will receive the almighty's abundant mercy, by which it shall rise up as an exemplary, shining role model to many countries in the world." The church, which marked its 17th anniversary in the UAE last month, conducts services in several languages, including English, Arabic, Urdu, Sinhala and Swahili. The church also has an extensive, dedicated network of charity organisations and mercy missions in a number of countries around the world.
Referring to religious freedom in the UAE, Reverend Thomas Daniel, the senior pastor of Dubai Marthoma Church, said: "The UAE continues to provide a setting in which people can live together and express their faith with mutual forbearance, to the profit of all. We, as a church of more than 2,000 families, join the nation as it marks the auspicious 37th National Day."
Pastor Daniel was also thankful to the authorities for donating the land in Jebel Ali on which his church is built.
The government recognises a number of Christian denominations, through the issuance of land-use permits, for the construction and operation of churches. According to the US State Department report, non-Muslim religious leaders regularly declare the UAE to be one of the most liberal countries in the region.
Religious freedom: Recent developments
On June 11, Al Sayed Ali Al Hashemi, Religious Affairs Adviser to the president, hosted an interfaith gathering at his residence, to which he invited the Apostolic Vicar of Arabia and Roman Catholic Bishop of Abu Dhabi Paul Hinder.
On May 17, the Media Affairs Centre of the Deputy Prime Minister's Office organised a symposium entitled "The Role of the Vatican in Promoting Coexistence around the World and the Reality of Religious Tolerance in UAE."
On April 27, the president's religious affairs adviser attended the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church in the UAE's Easter celebration.
On April 15, the president received the credentials of 13 ambassadors, including a new envoy from the Vatican.
On March 26, a new Ismaili Centre was opened in Dubai. The centre was built on land donated by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
On March 23, Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan opened a new Evangelical Church building in Abu Dhabi.
Dubai: The UAE has come a long way and, without doubt, expatriates have found in the country a home away from home and an environment in which they can exercise their religious freedom unhindered.
The latest International Religious Freedom Report released by the US Department of State says that while Islam is the official religion of the UAE, the government follows a policy of tolerance towards non-Muslim religious groups.
The report quotes leading Christian figures such as the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Apostolic Vicariate of Arabia, who showered plaudits on the UAE's leadership for its encouragement of inter-faith dialogue and the country's role in spreading tolerance and promoting coexistence among various faiths.
Local Christian denomination leaders who spoke to Gulf News unanimously praised the UAE authorities. And as the country marked its 37th National Day on Tuesday, the Christian community joined in celebrating the achievements of the UAE.
In Dubai, Reverend Dr V. Dilkumarthe Senior, overseeing minister of King's Revival Church International Ministries, said: "This is a memorable, blessed day for this lovely nation of the UAE. Even though the whole world is passing through times of various uncertainties in areas such as finance, terrorism and wars, this nation will receive the almighty's abundant mercy, by which it shall rise up as an exemplary, shining role model to many countries in the world." The church, which marked its 17th anniversary in the UAE last month, conducts services in several languages, including English, Arabic, Urdu, Sinhala and Swahili. The church also has an extensive, dedicated network of charity organisations and mercy missions in a number of countries around the world.
Referring to religious freedom in the UAE, Reverend Thomas Daniel, the senior pastor of Dubai Marthoma Church, said: "The UAE continues to provide a setting in which people can live together and express their faith with mutual forbearance, to the profit of all. We, as a church of more than 2,000 families, join the nation as it marks the auspicious 37th National Day."
Pastor Daniel was also thankful to the authorities for donating the land in Jebel Ali on which his church is built.
The government recognises a number of Christian denominations, through the issuance of land-use permits, for the construction and operation of churches. According to the US State Department report, non-Muslim religious leaders regularly declare the UAE to be one of the most liberal countries in the region.
Religious freedom: Recent developments
On June 11, Al Sayed Ali Al Hashemi, Religious Affairs Adviser to the president, hosted an interfaith gathering at his residence, to which he invited the Apostolic Vicar of Arabia and Roman Catholic Bishop of Abu Dhabi Paul Hinder.
On May 17, the Media Affairs Centre of the Deputy Prime Minister's Office organised a symposium entitled "The Role of the Vatican in Promoting Coexistence around the World and the Reality of Religious Tolerance in UAE."
On April 27, the president's religious affairs adviser attended the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church in the UAE's Easter celebration.
On April 15, the president received the credentials of 13 ambassadors, including a new envoy from the Vatican.
On March 26, a new Ismaili Centre was opened in Dubai. The centre was built on land donated by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
On March 23, Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan opened a new Evangelical Church building in Abu Dhabi.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)