A senior Emirati official is warning that demonstrations in Europe have crossed a line from political expression into a national security threat, arguing that extremism must be confronted before it turns violent.
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it → warn → threat
"You can go demonstrate, talk, give a speech, but what [we] saw in the street in 11 cities in Europe is not freedom of speech.
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saw → go → speech
It is a threat to national security," Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, chairman of the Defense, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee of the UAE's Federal National Council, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.
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Nuaimi → tell → interview
The remarks come against a wider European debate over radicalization.
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remarks → come → radicalization
On Nov. 3, Europol reported that authorities from 16 countries had referred more than 9,000 links to extremist and terrorist material appearing across 47 social media and gaming platforms.
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authorities → report → media
The operation targeted online role-playing content promoting jihadist, far-right, far-left and anarchist violence, including material that could draw minors toward extremist networks.
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that → target → networks
What makes the UAE's response distinctive, officials and experts argue, is its belief that the struggle against extremism begins long before police make an arrest — in classrooms, families and the way people of different backgrounds learn to live together.
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people → make → backgrounds
In our school system, we promote coexistence.
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we → promote → coexistence
We promote the values that bring us together, regardless of our religion, our nationality, our ethnic [background], our color.
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that → promote → religion
We have to learn how to live with our differences and to accept everyone as they are," Al Nuaimi said.
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Nuaimi → have → everyone
Preventing extremism before violence
At Hedayah, the Abu Dhabi-based International Center of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism, Fox News Digital spoke with Maqsoud Kruse, chairman of the center's International Steering Board and the UAE foreign minister's envoy for countering extremism and terrorism.
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Digital → prevent → extremism
Kruse, an organizational psychologist who helped establish Hedayah in 2012, described radicalization as a process that can begin with ideas, develop through emotional responses and, in some cases, lead to violent behavior.
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that → establish → behavior
Understanding that progression, he argued, creates opportunities to intervene long before violence occurs.
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violence → understand → opportunities
"When we talk about countering extremism and terrorism, we understand and realize that no one country, no one institution, no one individual can deal with this on their own," Kruse told Fox News Digital.
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Kruse → talk → Digital
"We need that international collaboration, that networking, that bridging, where everyone is part of the solution."
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everyone → need → solution
Within the UAE, he explained, the emphasis is on an integrated approach that brings together psychology, sociology, education and economics rather than treating extremism solely as a security problem.
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that → explain → problem
"That integrated approach means we need to shift from a problem-focused approach to a solution based approach where we create patterns of hope," he said.
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he → mean → hope
The distinction is central to the UAE's tolerance strategy: rather than waiting until extremist beliefs turn into violence, Kruse argues that societies must invest in education, community engagement and other preventive measures that address the underlying drivers of radicalization.
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that → wait → radicalization
He also challenged the assumption that poverty alone drives extremism.
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poverty → challenge → extremism
Wealthy, educated individuals can embrace extremist ideologies, while millions of people living in hardship never do.
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millions → educate → hardship
Kruse pointed to the experiences of former extremists who abandoned radical movements, arguing that their stories demonstrate the possibilities for rehabilitation and reintegration.
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stories → point → rehabilitation
The institution he leads works with governments, researchers and civil society on prevention programs.
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he → lead → programs
Kruse's argument is not that education replaces counterterrorism operations, but that security alone cannot address the ideas and human vulnerabilities that recruiters exploit, and a holistic approach is needed.
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approach → replace → that
Messages of coexistence at the Grand Mosque
That philosophy becomes visible in a very different setting across Abu Dhabi: the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
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philosophy → become → Dhabi
During a visit to the sprawling white-marble landmark, Fox News Digital passed displays on the approach to the prayer halls emphasizing tolerance, mutual respect and the legacy of the UAE's founding president, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
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Digital → sprawl → president
The messages are difficult to separate from the architecture: bright courtyards, floral inlays and rows of colonnades that draw visitors toward one of the country's most recognizable religious sites.
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that → separate → sites
The mosque, with its 82 domes and architectural influences from across the Islamic world, functions as a place of worship and a destination for visitors interested in the country's religious and cultural traditions.
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mosque → function → traditions
The vision behind the displays predates the UAE's opening to Israel.
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vision → predate → Israel
Sheikh Zayed helped establish the federation in 1971, and the leadership has long presented tolerance as a central part of national identity.
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leadership → help → identity
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre points to religious accommodation and the importance of welcoming people from different cultures as elements of his legacy.
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Centre → point → legacy
The policy became more formal over time.
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policy → become → time
In 2015, the UAE adopted legislation against discrimination and religious hatred.
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UAE → adopt → discrimination
In 2016, it appointed a minister of state for tolerance and launched a national tolerance program.
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it → appoint → program
The government updated its legal framework in 2023 to address discrimination, hatred and extremism.
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government → update → discrimination
Today, the UAE government says the country is home to more than 200 nationalities, a scale of diversity that creates an everyday test of how different cultures and faiths share public space.
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cultures → say → space
From interfaith dialogue to the Abraham Accords
The UAE has also tried to extend that vision beyond its borders.
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UAE → try → borders
In February 2019, Pope Francis and Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, signed the Document on Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi, calling for dialogue and peaceful coexistence.
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Francis → sign → dialogue
Four years later, the country inaugurated the Abrahamic Family House on Saadiyat Island.
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country → inaugurate → Island
Its mosque, church and synagogue occupy separate but equally prominent buildings linked by common spaces intended for learning and conversation.
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mosque → occupy → learning
During Fox News Digital's visit to the UAE, the Abrahamic Family House was temporarily closed.
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House → close → UAE
…and 24 more, not listed.
The Aporia
