Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the Catholic world, paid a historical visit to the United Arab Emirates. During the visit, the Pope led a sermon, which saw the participation of over 120 thousand Catholics living in the UAE. The Pope also met with the UAE leadership and representatives of other religions. One of the most symbolic pictures of this visit was the Pope’s close interaction with the Sheikh of Al Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb. This picture was meant to give the message of tolerance to the world, which the UAE claims to be the cradle of. In fact, the concept of tolerance was the main theme behind the visit. The UAE regime declared 2019 as the year of tolerance and the Ministry of Tolerance was established days before the Pope’s visit. UAE-based newspapers and agencies claimed that the Pope’s visit confirmed the UAE as the centre of tolerance.

However, experts and human rights advocates who follow the region closely have emphasized that the visit had different purposes than was claimed. The UAE administration, which has been responsible for human rights violations both inside and outside the country, has been allegedly in an effort to create a positive image of itself through different global PR activities. The Pope’s visit was just one of these. This was described in detail in a letter sent to the Pope on 3 February by Sarah Leah Whitson, director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch.

The UAE administration, responsible for human rights violations both inside and outside the country, has been in an effort to create a positive image of itself through different global PR activities. The Pope’s visit was just one of these.

Whitson stressed that the UAE administration’s efforts to present itself as a tolerant regime is unacceptable as Abu Dhabi has increasingly become a regime that does not respect basic human rights. For instance, the UAE administration issued a new law in 2014 that made it possible to arrest opposition figures within the country. As a result of this, many human rights activists were unjustly arrested. A prominent academic and activist, Nassar bin Ghait, was arrested in 2015 and was given 10 years in prison. Another human rights activist, Ahmad Mansour, was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison after being detained in 2017.

Whitson also stated that the country must adopt new laws in order to democratize its stance on basic human rights, such as the freedom of expression and belief. It is argued that non-Muslims in the UAE have been experiencing difficulties in practicing their religious rituals. While positive steps have been taken in recent years, there are still legal obstacles that need to be tackled. Another human rights issue with regards to foreigners are the hard working conditions and discriminatory practices that workers have been experiencing.

In a letter to the Pope, Sarah Leah Whitson, director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch, stressed that the UAE administration’s efforts to present itself as a tolerant regime is unacceptable. 

Another motivation for the UAE to host the Pope in the country can be described as winning the loyalty of millions of Catholics living and working in difficult conditions. It is no coincidence that the main theme of the Pope’s speech was how Christians could preserve their religion under pressure and in difficult times. Therefore, Pope Francis’ message was that it is a religious duty to both work under hard conditions and to preserve religious identity. Such a message would serve to cover the UAE’s responsibility for any wrongdoing against the Christian workers in the country. On the other hand, those Christians would remember the Pope’s visit as a symbol of Abu Dhabi’s respect for them as a religious minority and their rights.

The UAE has also been criticized for its aggressive foreign policy in the recent years. Critics such as the United Nations, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, have particularly raised their voice against the UAE for its role in the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen. It is argued that the UAE has been the main actor responsible for the deteriorating situation in Yemen. Human rights advocates called the UAE to stop its aggression in Yemen immediately.

The UAE also played a significant role in the military coup that occurred in Egypt on 3 July, 2013. Abu Dhabi supported General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to topple the democratically elected president of Egypt, Mohammad Morsi. This was a turning point in Egypt’s aspirations to become a democratic country, as the coup undeniably aimed to reverse this process. The UAE continued its support for the military regime in Egypt, which has become one of the most autocratic regimes in the world.

Another controversial initiative of the Pope’s visit was the Human Fraternity Document, which was signed by Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb. By including concepts such as tolerance, understanding and justice, the document called for religious leaders to work together in order to prevent violence and radicalism. It was argued that while remaining silent to human rights abuses and imprisonment of thousands of civilians in Egypt, Al-Tayyeb would not be in the position to sign such a document as the representative of Muslims across the world.

The United Arab Emirates wanted to use the Pope’s visit to improve its global image, which has recently been damaged due to many reasons. In order to contribute to its global image, UAE officials and media tools emphasized how tolerant the UAE is and how it works for peace and understanding among different beliefs. The Pope on the other hand, sought to emphasize the role of the Catholic Church in protecting the rights of Christians in the Middle East and the Arab world.

The leader of the Roman Catholic church Pope Francis visited Myanmar, the majority-Buddhist country that the US, UN and UK has accused of “ethnic cleansing” against its Muslim Rohingya people.

The pope will also visit Bangladesh, where more than 620,000 Rohingya have fled to escape what Amnesty International has called “crimes against humanity.”

Before the visit, the Cardinal of Myanmar Charles Bo had advised the pope not to use the term “Rohingya.”

“If he doesn’t use it, the international community will say something,” Bo acknowledged. “If he does use it, then it could be very bad for the military, the government and the Buddhist community.”

The Pope was publicly urged to avoid using the word seemingly out of concern that it would have negative repercussions for the Catholic minority.

The pope’s visit to Myanmar had been shrouded in speculation over whether he would refer to Rohingya directly or not.

Pope Francis on Tuesday called for respect for the rights of all of Myanmar’s ethnic groups without mentioning persecuted Rohingya Muslims or what has been condemned by the UN and US as “ethnic cleansing” directly.

On Tuesday, speaking in the capital Nay Pyi Taw, the pope referred to the continued suffering of Myanmar’s people “from civil conflict and hostilities.”

Saying that they “have lasted all too long and created deep divisions,” the pope talked of the need to “respect the rights of all who call this land their home.”

“The future of Myanmar must be peace, a peace based on respect for the dignity and rights of each member of society, respect for each ethnic group and its identity, respect for the rule of law and respect for a democratic order that enables each individual and every group — none excluded — to offer its legitimate contribution to the common good,” Pope Francis said.

The pope has already used the word Rohingya in two appeals from the Vatican this year. Previously Francis has prayed for “our Rohingya brothers and sisters.” His avoidance of the term now was seen by many as a retreat from his earlier support for the oppressed and marginalized around the world.

Many in Myanmar refuse to identify the Muslims of Rakhine as Rohingya, claiming they are migrants from Bangladesh even though they have lived there for generations.

Missed opportunity

The pope praised Suu Kyi’s efforts towards reconciliation after decades of military rule.

Suu Kyi in turn referred to the “situation in the Rakhine” and thanked those who had supported the government.

Human Rights Watch’s regional deputy director Phil Robertson, said he hoped Pope Francis would use the term.

“The pope missed an opportunity to reinforce his previous messages that affirmed the rights of the Rohingya to self-identify and used the name that they had chosen for themselves,” he said.

“The Rohingya have been stripped of so many things, but their name should never be one of them,” Robertson added.

“He risks either compromising his moral authority or putting in danger the Christians of that country,” said Father Thomas Reese, a prominent American author and analyst at Religion News Service.

Rohingya, described by the UN as the world’s most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

Amnesty International said the Rohingya and Muslims generally in Rakhine State had been subjected to “systemic social and political exclusion” for decades and accused the military of “crimes against humanity” in the last two years including murder, rape torture and forcible displacement.

Speaking in September, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali said around 3,000 Rohingya had been killed in the operation.

Rohingya have faced discrimination in the predominantly Buddhist country for decades. They are deprived of citizenship and unable to access basic services.

In a five-month security operation launched last year, the UN documented mass gang rapes, killings — including of infants and young children — brutal beatings and disappearances committed by security personnel.

The international community has called on the Myanmar government and military to immediately halt atrocities and allow Rohingya to return home safely.

Meanwhile in the UK, Oxford City Council on Monday evening stripped Suu Kyi of the Freedom of the City of Oxford, awarded to her in 1997.

Open-air Mass in Yangon

Pope Francis on Wednesday led an open-air Mass in Yangon for more than 200,000 Catholics from across Myanmar.

The flags of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam in the crowd, indicated many had travelled from further afield.

From late Tuesday night, thousands of Catholics began gathering at the Kyaik Kasan stadium in Thingangyun Township to see Francis.

The pope called on Myanmar’s ethnic minorities – who have suffered decades of oppression at the hands of the military – not to give in to the desire for revenge.

“I know that many in Myanmar bear the wounds of violence, wounds both visible and invisible,” Francis said in Italian that was translated into Burmese, referring to the Karen, Kachin, Sha and Wa peoples, who make up around 40 percent of the population

He urged people to respond with “forgiveness and compassion” and added: “The way of revenge is not the way of Jesus.”

His message of forgiveness was his first public Mass in the predominantly Buddhist nation.

The pope said his priority in Myanmar was to minister to its 660,000-strong Roman Catholic community.