UAE residents happy to mix with people of different nationalities

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Tuesday 21 Apr 2015 - 11:33 Makkah mean time-2-7-1436 (File image) Abu Dhabi (IINA) - A new survey has found that United Arab Emirates residents welcome people from different nationalities and are happy to interact with them, reflecting one of the tenets of Islam: tolerance. “With more than 200 nationalities successfully co-existing in the UAE, it is not surprising to see most residents surveyed supporting the view it is important for people to interact with others from different cultures and backgrounds,” says Alaeddine Ghazouani, of YouGov. “While this kind of openness was noted in terms of both nationality and religion, respondents were somewhat more likely to agree with the notion that people of different nationalities living in the UAE should interact with each other as compared to people from different religions.” The survey found 9 out of 10 residents agree that it is important for people from different nationalities to interact. The same number say their experience of meeting people from other cultures has been beneficial to their view of the world, The National reported. The UAE is a mix of nationalities and cultures,” says Sally Antoun, 32, an Egyptian who lives in Abu Dhabi. “I work in a company hiring more than 36 nationalities. We work together, we are close colleagues and, in many cases, friends. Dyala Raoufi, 33, from Turkey, is an architect who has lived in the UAE all her life. “The UAE provides a great medium for people to explore and get acquainted with other’s beliefs,” she said. SM/IINA