In the presence of President, Jair Bolsonaro of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence, in cooperation with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain in Brasilia, inaugurated the declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain in South America starting from the Federative Republic of Brazil. The declaration took place in a big ceremony organized by the Center in Brasilia, in the presence of Brazilian Foreign Minister, Ernesto Araujo, Minister of Tourism, Gilson Machado Neto, Minister of Education, Milton Ribeiro, the Foreign Relations and National Defense Committee of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Brazil, Deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro. and a number of officials and members of the diplomatic corps and religious and social personalities.
The Brazilian President delivered a speech at the beginning of the ceremony in which he extended his kind greetings to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on the occasion of the glorious National Day. He praised the efforts of His Majesty that contributed to the growth of close relations between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Kingdom of Bahrain, based on common principles and values such as freedom of religion and belief and rejection of extremism. He announced the opening of his country’s embassy in Manama in order to further develop bilateral relations between the two friendly countries in many fields. The Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, Abdullah bin Faisal bin Jabr Al Dossari, conveyed in his speech at the ceremony, the greetings of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to the Brazilian President and friendly Brazilian people, and His Majesty’s wishes for more Progress and prosperity. During the ceremony, Al Dossari affirmed the depth of bilateral and diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Federative Republic of Brazil, which began in 1976.
He expressed keenness to develop bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and invest in the available opportunities in many political, economic, commercial and cultural fields, as Brazil is the largest country in South America and has one of the largest economies in the world. The Assistant Foreign Minister explained that the declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain embodies the noble directives, objectives and messages of His Majesty the King on promoting the three main values: tolerance, peaceful coexistence and religious rapprochement as civilized principles that are ideal for the advancement of societies towards progress and harmony and to the build bridges of coexistence and harmony among people. This confirms the royal vision and the efforts of the Kingdom of Bahrain aimed at strengthening the bonds of peace and coexistence among all peoples and countries of the world, he said, pointing out that His Majesty the King invites everyone to participate and contribute to achieving these noble humanitarian goals.
The Assistant Foreign Minister also indicated that His Majesty the King stressed on several local and international occasions the importance of adopting moderation, tolerance and enlightened thought as major pillars of reform, development and human rights, with the need to represent all segments of society as a general approach in a way that contributes to development in the service of everyone’s interests without exclusion. It is a trend adopted by the Kingdom of Bahrain since its establishment as a civil state, where places of worship such as churches, temples and mosques co-exist side by side in a society distinguished by its cultural and ethnic diversity inherited from parents and grandparents for decades. A society, he said, that has respect for all religions and ethnicities embodying the depth of the roots of the principles of coexistence in daily life making of the Kingdom of Bahrain a model of peaceful coexistence and mutual respect.
He added that this has prompted many countries around the world along with international organizations to commend the efforts of His Majesty the King in spreading the culture of religious tolerance, cultural diversity and respect for others. The Assistant Foreign Minister stated that the Kingdom of Bahrain has become an oasis of security and stability, which has made it an ideal place for expatriates to live, work and practice their religious rituals and customs with all freedom and reassurance and won it prestigious international acclaims. The Assistant Foreign Minister stressed that building the values of coexistence is now considered an urgent necessity more than ever, especially with the fast-paced progress of means of communication between human beings and the accompanying forms of extremism and hatred. This, he added, requires from all official and civil sides to raise awareness about preserving a unified national identity of children and youth, and to respect cultural diversity as an additional support for a prosperous humanity and to maximize collective efforts and joint coordination at all levels to spread the values and culture of tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Al Dossari pointed out the vital and realistic role of the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence and its actual translation of the efforts made by the Kingdom of Bahrain under the leadership of His Majesty the King. The center, he added, aims to spread the principles of moderation and the spirit of brotherhood among people of all faiths and beliefs, in a way that guarantees the universal rights of the human being who represents the essence of tolerance.
“It emphasizes the main freedoms, especially freedom of thought and conscience in order to preserve the dignity of the individual and their free practice of religious rituals, as prerequisites to promote the spirit of tolerance and peaceful coexistence,” he explained. In his turn, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence, Dr. Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, said the Kingdom of Bahrain stands as an icon for peace in the Middle East region. “ It is an exceptional melting pot in which the various religions and sects are fused — Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and others – practice their religious beliefs freely and respectfully. “ Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa stated that thanks to the wise leadership and the insightful vision of His Majesty the King, the history of cultural diversity and acceptance of the different other in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom has become a unique mosaic of its kind in the fusion of its mosques with its churches, temples and monasteries.
He described it as a rare case in the world, quoting His Majesty the King’s sayings in this regard: “Ignorance is the enemy of peace … and faith illuminates our way to achieve peace,” as summarizing the Kingdom’s vision on how to create a better world for all. Shaikh Khalid explained that the Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain, inaugurated by His Majesty the King in the year 2017, calls for an end to religious extremism by respecting religious freedoms, promoting peaceful coexistence and tolerance and adopting them as a basic road map for a brighter and more prosperous future for human king. He pointed out that the Kingdom of Bahrain is looking forward to deepening its ties of cooperation with the countries of South America, based on the values of tolerance, coexistence and mutual respect between all peoples and regions. He stressed that the Federal Republic of Brazil will be the main gateway to achieving this lofty goal, taking into account its continental weight and its pivotal role in spreading the principles of the Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration among Latin American countries.
He described the center is a true reflection of the vision of His Majesty the King, which was formally established in 2017 to promote and spread the noble values of respect for religious freedom, tolerance and coexistence in order to achieve peace and prosperity around the world. He pointed out that the center seeks through its programs to explore youth aspirations to achieve intellectual harmony and contribute to launching initiatives that build bridges of mutual respect and acceptance of the different other and achieve justice and equality for all. Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa also indicated that the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence constitute the driving force of the center’s commitment to achieving peace, love and harmony by launching a set of innovative programs and initiatives aimed at empowering youth to become future leaders and makers of tolerance and wisdom, while rejecting all forms of extremism, intolerance, violence and hatred at the levels of all peoples and nations. The ceremony began with the Brazilian republican anthem and the Bahraini royal anthem, followed by the Brazilian President’s statement, that of the Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and the statement of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the King Hamad International Center for Peaceful Coexistence, in addition to a documentary film about the Kingdom of Bahrain’s declaration of tolerance and peaceful coexistence and the Kingdom’s unique experience in promoting the values and principles of tolerance, peaceful coexistence and respect for religious freedom.
It is worth noting that that ceremony was directly broadcast from the city of Rio de Janeiro and for the first the colors of Bahrain’s flag were projected over the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro to mark the declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain along with the Anniversary of His Majesty the King’s accession to the throne and Bahrain’s celebration of its National .
