Dr. Bahaa Helmy Writes: The UAE, an Oasis of Heritage and Leadership

Visions for the Future — The sons of Sheikh Zayed, the Sage of the Arabs, are writing an epic of hard and tireless work to build the human being and to set the United Arab Emirates firmly on the path to leadership in knowledge and the technology of the future, starting from a foundation of deep roots and heritage. Heritage is not embodied in noble lineage alone; it is also embodied in the humility, wisdom, patriotism and humanity of Sheikh Zayed, may God have mercy on him, who was able to write history and to inscribe the national memory with the finest examples and maxims, so that they became a beacon for shaping national culture and laid down frameworks for the relationship between the ruler and his people and his responsibility for building the human being on the basis of science and knowledge and of investment in creating new generations of educated and cultured people. If a book immortalizes its author, history immortalizes the wisdom of Sheikh Zayed, who possessed authenticity of opinion and authenticity of style and many brilliant ideas that express human warmth and tolerance, and his attachment to the past for the purpose of building a better future. He left behind him an oasis and a legacy of heritage and a humane approach, as fundamental principles and values of tolerance, love and development. The truth is that the Emirates could not have attained its global standing except through leaders and rulers who work according to governing principles whose foundation is heritage and whose substance is coordination and harmony in pursuit of specific goals built on knowledge and on creating an enabling environment and generations able to receive the technology of the future and handle it with professionalism. They are men who made up their minds, cooperated and succeeded in combining heritage with leadership. Holding fast to the values, tolerance and wisdom that flowed from the Sage of the Arabs, believing in ability and having the will to turn those values into a tangible practical reality on the soil of the Emirates has become a reality and a model to be followed. They achieve accomplishments according to well-studied plans and in implementation of clear strategies with defined goals in various fields and at all levels — political, economic and cultural, and before that education and technology — which has enabled the Emirates to hold the keys, tools and mechanisms for leading certain aspects of globalization and to open markets and the various countries of the world to it, in a calm and soft manner as well. The United Arab Emirates has become the capital of tolerance in the world, the seat of the Global Conference of Human Fraternity, and a national home for tolerance “as the vision of the leadership and the journey of a people”, in addition to the numerous scientific, medical and cultural conferences, government summits and future technology events that strengthen the role of young people in achieving international peace and security. Hardly a week goes by without our reading about new events held in the Emirates, whether in the social sciences and humanities, or in science, knowledge and modern technologies including electronic currency and future-technology robots, or in all other walks of life. And despite the responsibilities that running a state entails, we find the leaders and rulers of the Emirates in direct contact with the people, interacting with various events and situations, and communicating with whoever wishes on the electronic communication sites that some call “social media”. Truly, the leaders and rulers of the Emirates, whether in Abu Dhabi, Dubai or the rest of the seven emirates, have been able to make the United Arab Emirates an oasis of heritage and leadership, thanks to their possession of the wisdom, thought and determination to turn the dream into reality on the ground. May God bless every sincere national effort. And may God have mercy on the Sage of the Arabs.