DUBAI — Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president, prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Dubai, has surprised dozens of newly married Emiratis who organized simple and low-cost wedding parties in their homes as a result of COVID-19 pandemic with special greeting cards signed by him. In a video posted by Dubai Post on Friday, the couples are seen reading letters by him, after celebrating their "simple" wedding at home. At a time when wedding parties have witnessed a new culture and became simpler and affordable with costs that focused on priorities and the happiness of families, relatives and friends, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid decided to congratulate his sons and daughters and stressed that the true value of marriage aims at building a coherent, interconnected UAE family which is filled with love and synergy, a statement carried by state news agency read. Simplicity deepens all values of marriage and is greater than the variables and circumstances, he added. The Federal Youth Authority, through its digital platforms, has surveyed point of views of around 5,000 Emirati male and female youths on social media platforms about the future of marriage, where more than 90 percent of the participants expressed their support and tendency towards simple celebrations and the importance of focusing on values and principles that establish a successful marriage and build a coherent family. — WAM
