Why the UAE was selected for Expo 2020

No one can claim that UAE has won the hosting of Expo2020 without its evident merits, manifest in its modern infrastructure, attractive environment, and open culture marked by tolerance, hospitality and cheerfulness. The citizens of the UAE constitute 10% only of the population and the rest have come from all over the world, a living testimony to its respect and love of humanity. Its record in humanitarian aid is well-documented in OECD’s index as being among the top 10 donor countries of the world. During Corona crisis, many expatriates lost their jobs due to economic recession but they refused to leave the country and stayed jobless and without residency permits waiting for the situation to improve and get jobs and return back to normal. This is a proof that expatriates prefer the UAE to their own native countries even though they are destitute and illegal residents. Their attitude is justified by many factors: respect for the expat, intensive charitable work, security and clean accommodations and environment.

Despite this, the EU shocks the world by claiming that UAE has a dark record of human rights as if the EU had no say in selecting it as a host of Expo2020 in the first place which is not true, and its member countries were present at the time of voting and voted for the UAE. This indicates that the call for boycotting the event is politicized and enticed by the US administration which is filled of wrath because the UAE is filled with patriotism and stood fast against using Islamic fundamentalism as tools to achieve a suspicious scheme in the region. Most probably, the accusation is related to the war in Yemen after the Shiite Houthi militia wanted to grab authority and turn the region into a field for sectarian strife between Sunnis and Shiites and drag people into a bloodbath where brothers fight and kill each other in defense of people who died some 14 centuries ago, thus destroying the region and turning it into rubble.

The UAE is a country that works on the basis of a well-defined strategy that aims at sustainable development, security strong economy. Without prior notification, the region has changed after the so-called Arab Spring and the Islamists rose to power in its two wings: Sunnis and Shiites, threatening to change the population into sectarian militias who try to dominate the region and make their own sect obscure the other, which is a very short way to overall annihilation. The UAE realized the malignant scheme and did its best to thwart it, and it started from its people by educating them to be good citizens regardless of their religion and sect. It built churches and temples for different religions to promote peace and love among its population with the ultimate goal of preserving the country and the continuation of the development march.

Only 10 days before the inauguration of the exhibition, the EU called for boycotting the event, a very sensitive timing that may cause the UAE much harm, as if it was waiting for the event to approach close enough in order to strike hard in an attempt to foil the event. This arouses suspicions of the real motive as it could have cast the call long before this. This timing alludes to some actors behind the scene who gave the signal to cast the call for boycott, in a twisted move that casts shadow on its credibility and integrity, especially that it participated in selecting the UAE as a host of the event.

The UAE is moving confidently and taking all measures to ensure the safety and well-being of all the visitors and it is determined to make the event unforgettable, and indeed, it is eligible to succeed because of its popularity among the world countries, most of which allow the Emiratis to enter without a visa, in clear-cut evidence to its merits and refined civilization.