The UAE's Permanent Representative to the United Nations has spoken of the rise of "abominable" attacks on places of worship.
Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh told a meeting in New York that it was a "tragedy of our modern world" that holy places increasingly require armed security.
The Emirati diplomat was speaking alongside UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at an event to promote dialogue between religions.
Those present observed a moment of silence for the victims of recent terrorist attacks.
In the past six weeks, churches and mosques were bombed and worshippers shot in Sri Lanka and New Zealand in scenes that shocked the world.
"It is abominable that people are being targeted at their places of worship, and it is a tragedy of our modern world that holy sanctuaries increasingly require armed security to ensure the safety of innocent congregants," she said.
According to state news agency Wam, Ms Nusseibeh underscored the key role of the Muslim community in leading interfaith dialogue.
"As Muslims, we have this responsibility not only because we constitute a quarter of the world’s population, but because embracing and welcoming people of all faiths is a basic tenet of Islam," she said.
Mr Guterres has set in motion to combat intolerance and hate-based violence. The first is a plan of action to safeguard religious sites. The second is a plan to scale up the UN's response to tackling hate speech, led by the special adviser on genocide prevention.
"These measures are not enough; we must also tackle the root causes including poverty and inequality, as they make people vulnerable to extremist narratives," he said.
The UAE, in its capacity as the chair of the Group of Member States of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), hosted the debate on Thursday.
"I welcome the OIC’s emphasis as expressed in the Abu Dhabi Declaration that was adopted this year on tackling inequality, empowering young people, and promoting gender equality," he said.
The discussion focused on the importance of interreligious dialogue as a core value of Islam, with keynote remarks by Archbishop Bernadito Auza, permanent observer of the Holy See to the UN, Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, executive director of New York University’s Bronfman Centre for Jewish Student Life, and Agshin Mehdiyev, permanent observer for the OIC to the UN.
