DOHA QATAR marked the Arab Human Rights Day on Sunday, under the patronage and in the presence of Minister of State for Internal Affairs HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al Thani and the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Interior (MoI), under the slogan ‘a culture of dialogue and tolerance supports the protection of human rights’.
The ceremony held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel marked the opening of the celebrations which will continue for three days.
It was attended by officials concerned with human rights, several department directors of MoI, as well as Dr Siham Farouk, an expert on human rights and its cultivation in the Arab League, in addition to representatives of various expatriate communities in Qatar.
Speaking at the ceremony, Colonel Abdullah Saqr al Mohannadi, director of the Human Rights Department of MoI, commented: “Qatar is committed to the promotion of, and respect for, human rights, and as such the State provides the necessary political, economic, social and cultural safeguards for human rights.” Mohannadi noted that this was especially true in light of the democratic and developmental transitions which have been presided over by the country’s leadership, giving as specific examples the formation of the constitution and the establishment of the municipal council, along with the formation of the Qatari National Human Rights Council.
He pointed out the relation of these significant steps to the country’s central role on the regional, the Arab level, in Qatar’s participation in the resolution of internal conflicts in many Arab countries and contributions to supporting joint Arab action in the legal, social, cultural, educational, health and environmental fields. He listed Qatar’s contribution to Arab League agreements on combating human trafficking and fighting corruption as a pertinent and a shining example of these contributions.
Sultan Hassan al Jamali, assistant secretary-general of Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee, stressed the urgent need for the preservation of human rights, relating to a country’s level of respect for human rights and to its ultimate ability to achieve a sustainable development.
Jamali said, “Tolerance is the foundation of mutual respect among people and communities, and it is a vital requirement towards building a society around shared values.” He added that Qatar is seeking, through its chairmanship of the Permanent Arab Commission for Human Rights, to activate Arab initiatives aimed at supporting and promoting human rights in the Arab world.
Later, the Minister of State for Internal Affairs honoured a number of expatriate community representatives, gifting them with commemorative shields. Also receiving an honour from the minister was Dr Ali Mohieddin al Qaradaghi, head of the Jurisprudence and Religion Department in the Faculty of Sharia of QU and secretary-general of the World Federation of Muslim Scholars.
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