Abu Dhabi: The Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates said that the decision of the US President to ban the entry of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries is a sovereign decision and not directed against Islam.
Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan made his remarks on Donald Trump’s ban in a press conference on Wednesday held with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, who is on a visit to the UAE, Efe news reported.
Al Nahyan emphasized that every state has the right to take sovereign decision, and the US made one on Friday.
He pointed out that the decision did not include the vast majority of Muslims, and stressed that it is a provisional decision and will be rectified.
The minister added that there have been attempts to give the impression that this decision was targeting a particular religion, which is not the case.
Trump’s decision, known as the Muslim ban, prohibits granting visas or asylum to citizens of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia for three months.
