world
May 04, 2021 – 00:01

The organizers of the ‘Sheikh Zayed Literary Prize’, on behalf of the founder of the federation of the United Arab Emirates, said today that they regret the refusal of the famous German philosopher Jürgen Habermas to accept the title “Cultural and Personal” given to him.

According to a press release sent yesterday by the publishing house Suhrkamp to the German magazine Der Spiegel, Habermas, now 91 years old, says that accepting the prize and the amount of around 226.00 euros, would be a “bad decision” and that it would i “put an end”.

“I was not informed of the close link between the Abu Dhabi Prize-winning institution and the Emirati political system,” he added.

“The Sheikh Zayed Literature Prize regrets Jürgen Habermas’ decision, but respects it,” the foundation said in a press release.

“The award embodies the values ​​of tolerance, knowledge and creativity by building bridges between cultures and will continue to fulfill its mission in this regard,” he added.

The UAE is often accused by NGOs of human rights abuses, hostility to freedom of expression and intolerance of any opposing political opinion.