Media has a greater role

The UAE's leadership is keen to uphold the values of justice, tolerance and respect for cultures to ensure security and stability in the region, Saqr Ghubash Saeed Ghubash, Minister of Labour and Chairman of the National Media Council, told a meeting yesterday.

These qualities should be maintained in the face of injustice, extremism and terrorism, he said at a seminar on the role of the Arab media in addressing terrorism. The event at the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) was organised by the council in collaboration with the centre and the Arab League.

He said the President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, were keen to establish the values of justice, tolerance, equality and respect for cultures and religions in order to ensure security and stability for all and to continue economic and social development within the UAE and abroad.

"The media's role in addressing the phenomenon of terrorism still involves a lot of ambiguity, confusion and uncertainty," he added. "And this meeting reflects our keenness to develop a coherent Arab media to work as a constructive force in the fight against terrorism."

He said discussions of terrorism often centred on the idea that the Arab region was one of the sources of terrorism, but the objective observer would find that the region was in fact one of the main victims.

Ghubash said the role of media in combating terrorism did not involve responding during times of difficulty. Instead it required the provision of appropriate intellectual alternatives, especially to young people, to immunise them from terrorism and strengthen their loyalty to their homeland. (Wam)

 

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