The Burj Khalifa stood in solidarity with Manchester last night
Dubai’s greatest icon sent a message of support to the people of the UK less than 24 hours after an unthinkable attack in Manchester.
Monday night tragedy struck Manchester in the UK, with a senseless attack on an Ariana Grande concert killing 22 people and injuring 59 others – many of them children.
And Tuesday night Dubai sent a message to the world and the more than 200,000 Britons living in the UAE that they stand firmly with the people of the UK.
They did so by lighting up the world’s tallest building with the Union Jack flag less than 24 hours after the attack took place.
It’s a reminder to British expats living in Dubai that the city they call home stands by the country they come from…
As H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, said in a speech earlier this year: “Ignorant people with half knowledge are killing people in the name of religion. They do all these acts of violence in Europe and America in the name of religion. The religion is a message of peace to all humanity. But these people are ignorant and have nothing to do with religion as they don’t understand religion at all.”
*ALSO READ: Six beautiful & diverse places of worship in Dubai & Sharjah*
Remember, in March this year, the Burj Khalifa lit up in the colours of the Pakistan flag to celebrate Pakistan National Day with the 1.2 million Pakistanis living in the UAE… 
And in November 2015 the Burj Khailfa wore the French tricolour flag after a deadly and senseless attack in Paris.
The UAE’s Charter of Tolerance and appointment of Lubna Al Qassimi as Minister of Tolerance are all an effort to stamp out hatred and violence in the region, as Sheikh Mohammed explained last year: “We have also learned from hundreds of thousands of dead and millions of refugees in our region that sectarian, ideological, cultural and religious bigotry only fuel the fires of rage. We cannot and will not allow this in our country. We need to study, teach, and practice tolerance – and to instill it in our children, both through education and our own example.”
