The top diplomat of the United Arab Emirates defended the immigration ban implemented via executive order by US President, Donald Trump, on Wednesday. The comments from the foreign minister of the Gulf Association, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, are likely to bolster the Trump administration’s assertion that they are not anti-Muslim.
The UAE minister says that the US is entirely within its rights to make sovereign decisions on immigration. This is the first time that Trump’s controversial move has been supported by a senior official from the Arab regions. Abdullah also expressed his confidence in the statement from the Trump administration that the ban was not based on religion, pointing out that the order affected just seven countries and not the great majority of countries that are Muslim-majority.
Abdullah noted that the ban is temporary and will be revised in three months – a fact he believes should be taken into consideration. He added that many countries on the list are facing structural problems, which should deal with those issues before trying to solve their current problem with the US.
The Emirates is one of the closest allies of the US in the Arab world and is a seven-state federation priding itself on its forward-looking, moderate position, which still embraces its traditional Islamic and Arab heritage. The Emirates is also the biggest Arab export market for the US and has commercial connections to Trump.