Abu Dhabi: The UAE’s top charity organisations have said they will continue with their humanitarian mission in Afghanistan and will not allow the cowardly acts of terrorism to deter them from helping those in need.
The comments come after five Emirati nationals — Mohammad Ali Zainal Al Bastaki, Abdullah Mohammad Eisa Obaid Al Kaabi, Ahmad Rashid Salim Ali Al Mazroui, Ahmad Abdul Rahman Ahmad Al Tunaiji and Abdul Hamid Sultan Abdullah Ebrahim Al Hammadi, were martyred in Afghanistan while on a mission to carry out humanitarian, educational and development projects for the Afghan people.
“This act of terrorism will not affect our humanitarian efforts and the overall strategy of the UAE in its policy towards delivering aid and help for the countries that need it,” said Dr Mohammad Atiq Al Falahi, secretary-general of the UAE Red Crescent Authority.
“Our aid workers are always ready to carry out programmes in any part of the world including Afghanistan. These programmes cover many areas, including aid for poor people, helping victims of conflicts and humanitarian disasters. Terrorism will not impact these programmes and we will not stop,” he added.
Al Falahi said the UAE Red Crescent has played a prominent role in helping Afghanistan with humanitarian projects, and that the five Emirati martyrs were killed while carrying out those duties.
“Our martyrs lost their lives while helping the people of Afghanistan, they were there to open a new orphanage and school for young Afghan children who had lost their parents. There is no moral excuse to carry out such an attack, it goes against all religions to kill people who are helping others,” he said.
“Within the last decade, the UAE Red Crescent has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian projects in Afghanistan; these projects have included building homes, schools, hospitals, and help centres. We are proud of this contribution and will continue to do it,” he added.
Mohammad Al Khoury, director-general of Khalifa Foundation, echoed similar sentiments. One of the victims of the terrorist attack, Mohammad Al Bastaki, was the head of the foundation’s projects in Afghanistan.
“We are proud of our martyrs, they were killed by a cowardly terrorist attack while performing a noble act of helping others. We will continue to carry out our humanitarian projects in Afghanistan and will not stop because of terrorism,” Al Khoury said.
“We saw the instructions of our leader President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to keep to our humanitarian duty in Afghanistan, and we will certainly continue to do so. Nothing will stop us, especially terrorism. As a humanitarian organisation, we will always help people around the world regardless of their nationality.” he added.
Khalfan Al Mazroui, chairman of Dar Al Ber Society, one of the oldest charities in the UAE, said the country’s aid organisations and workers would remain steadfast in the face of terrorism.
“We are all proud of our martyrs and soldiers of goodness who sacrificed their soul and blood while giving for charity and extending their white hands to the entire world in general and brotherly peoples in particular.
“Such terrorist and heinous crimes shall never deter the charity societies working here from assisting whoever is in need for help. The UAE charitable and humanitarian work shall never come to a stop under our prudent leadership,” he added.
