May 6, 2019,

The American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) Student Life Department in collaboration with Ras Al Khaimah Police Tolerance Team organized the Tolerance and Humanity Forum to promote a culture of harmonic coexistence and compassion among various religions in support of the Year of Tolerance.

“Tolerance is a verb, not a noun,” Mr. Rajesh Damodarakurup explained in his presentation Wednesday at the Tolerance and Humanity Forum. Understanding and tolerance are not states that happen on their own. They require actions to achieve, and AURAK wanted to take a step forward into cultivating a more international and tolerant environment for the students by hosting this forum in which several representatives from various religions spoke to an auditorium of students.

The leading guest speaker, a social commentator and certified lecturer in happiness and positivity from the Council of Ministers, was Captain Fahed Haikal. Just a few other religious leaders featured at the forum were Father Thomas Sebastian from St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, Father Paula of Jerusalem from the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Michael, Mr. Rajesh Damodarakurup from the Hindu Community, and Mrs. Kiran Maini of the Sikh religion.

AURAK President, Professor Hassan Hamdan Al Alkim, was delighted with the unique opportunity students were afforded with the ability to attend the Tolerance and Humanity Forum, “Ignorance and narrow-mindedness only adds to fear and hinders progress. The more students learn about different cultures the more they will understand and learn how to respect them, enabling them to successfully navigate in a global society. In this exposure to various religious presentations, not only are we fostering religious freedom, but we are also paving the way for a future of a society of harmonious coexistence.”