Samar Yahya

Saudi Gazette



JEDDAH — A 68-day youth ethics campaign promoting tolerance in society was launched in Jeddah on Thursday by the non-profit organization Rekaaz.



The campaign, titled “A Tolerant Person is a Winner”,  is based on a study conducted in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on major social issues. The study found a lack of tolerance among youth was the cause of many problems in society.



Addressing a press conference, Rekaaz’s Secretary-General Ahmad Asiri said, “We chose the topic after closely analyzing the results of a study conducted by Rekaaz on social problems among the GCC youth. The findings showed that verbal violence, social and family disintegration and sectarianism are the main problems faced by youth. About 51 percent of the respondents were victims of verbal violence and intolerance while 31 percent believed intolerance, bad behavior and disrespecting elders were the main negative tendencies among the GCC youth."



The campaign targets young men and women between 15 and 25 who will be encouraged to take part in innovative activities at gyms and shopping malls in six major Saudi cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Yanbu, Taif and Abha.



“The campaign is tailored with educational, national and humanitarian dimensions in order to promote healthy interactions between members of society, reject extremism, sectarianism and intolerance to other religions, cultures and ethnicities. We are open to new ideas and partnerships, in addition to expanding ethics campaigns in the Kingdom to reach other regions and different population segments in society,” he added.



The campaign will be accompanied by a three-part tolerance promotion competition. A team of specialists will evaluate videos, photographs and stories that are submitted via www.rekaaz.com. Winners will be chosen depending on the number of votes they get from the jury and audience.



Rekaaz aims to promote religious and human values to improve the quality of social life for young people of both sexes in the GCC. It is also engaged with civil society and government organizations in order to strengthen understanding, dialogue, acceptance of others and ties between different members of society.



Maher Zein, a Swedish Muslim R&B singer of Lebanese origin, will sing the campaign’s title song.