The post of the Minister of State for Tolerance was first introduced in 2016 when H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced structural changes to the 12th Cabinet, reinforcing the UAE’s commitment to eradicate ideological, cultural and religious bigotry in the society. The first Minister of State for Tolerance was Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi.
In 2017, in the cabinet reshuffle, H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan was appointed as Cabinet Member & Minister of Tolerance in the UAE.
To reflect the UAE’s founding father’s (H.H. Sheikh Zayed Nahyan -1918 to 2004) vision, on 15th December 2018, the late H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed declared 2019 as the Year of Tolerance.
Subsequently, multiple cultural programs were initiated, backed with legislative support to engrain values of tolerance and coexistence amongst over 200 nationalities living in the UAE in harmony.
In 2017, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai named the pedestrian bridge over the Dubai Canal as the Tolerance Bridge.
In 2017, H.H. Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, renamed the Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Mosque in Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, to ‘Mariam, Umm Eisa’ – in the Arabic language, meaning, ‘Mary, the Mother of Jesus.’
The naming indicates all the positive factors to spread the essence of tolerance.
In the cabinet reshuffle in July 2020, the Ministry of Tolerance was changed to the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence. H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan is the Cabinet Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence.
