Bahrain : On behalf of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, His Highness Shaikh Mohamed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, the Special Representative of HM the King, opened today the “Bahrain Dialogue Forum: East and West for Human Coexistence” at the Isa Cultural Center (ICC).
The two-day event is organised by King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence, The Muslim Council of Elders and the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (SCIA), with the participation of many eminent intellectual figures and representatives of religions from various countries.
The National Anthem was played and some Holy Quran verses were recited.
SCIA President, member of the Muslim Council of Elders Shaikh Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, delivered a speech in which he conveyed greetings from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to all the participants in the Dialogue Forum, as well as their wishes for success to them.
The SCIA President extended, on behalf of all the participants, deepest thanks to HM the King for his kind initiative aimed at fostering the values of good and coexistence globally, contributing to promoting security, peace, love and harmony all over the world.
Shaikh Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa unveiled HM the King’s initiative on establishing the “King Hamad Global Award for Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence”, noting that the royal move, confirming the importance of dialogue, understanding and cooperation among countries, proves HM the King’s support for all efforts to achieve good, peace and rapprochement among all human beings without discrimination, as called for all divine religions and stipulated in international laws.
The SCIA welcomed the participation of His Eminence Grand Imam Sheikh of Al Azhar Dr. Ahmed Al Tayyib, the Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, and His Holiness Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, in the Dialogue Forum.
He valued highly the efforts of the Muslim Council of Elders and the Vatican for their participation in the preparations for the Bahrain Dialogue Forum, praying to Allah the Almighty to bless all efforts aimed at serving humanity through sober dialogues that consolidate coexistence, as well as its culture and fundamentals, for the ultimate goal of making it a real message adopted by all governments, organisations and peoples.
SCIA President asserted that Bahrain, thanks to its distinguished geography and important strategic location, has been throughout the ages a cultural meeting place for various ancient civilisations, and a vital centre for trade and navigation.
Such particular assets have made its people open to constructive interaction with different religions, sects, beliefs, ideas, cultures and civilisations, he said.
“Bahrain also enjoys a unique diversity that is one of the most important tributaries of development and civilisational construction in the country. Many religions, sects and races have lived in peace on its soil, as they found a vivacious spirit, genuine compassion, great harmony, and constructive coexistence,” he added.
“Thus, the testimonies of civilisation are witnesses to Bahrain’s bright image, in which the mosque, the community centre, the church, the synagogue, and the temple are adjacent to each other, and in which each individual or group practices their rituals and worship freely and safely.”
Naturally, coexistence took root as part of the inherent values of Bahrainis, and a major basis for public engagement and national and social action, he said.
“There is no doubt that Bahrain’s cultural depth and human history are among the most important elements of coexistence in the country.”
Shaikh Abdulrahman said that two factors are crucial in spreading, sustaining and consolidating coexistence in communities.
“The first factor is respect for religious and sectarian idiosyncrasies. Respecting them makes countries and states absorb pluralism and in fact, makes pluralism a civilising factor for construction and development, which our country has been keen to establish for a long time,” he noted.
Bahrain’s National Action Charter, Constitution and national laws preserve and affirm such privacy, and the Kingdom has been keen to make its legislation and regulations compatible with diversity, in the personal status or family provisions, he added.
“For instance, each individual is judged according to their religion and sect, and the same approach is applied with regard to Islamic endowments.”
By doing so, Bahrain wanted the law and order to be in harmony with the conscience, in order to spare individuals confusion and internal conflicts between their conscience and the law they want to see applied.
“The second factor is religious freedom. Bahrain enjoys wide religious freedoms that are not limited to granting them only, but go beyond to ensure support, guarantee, and consolidation of freedoms and rituals. Bahrain has become a global model to be followed in this field.”
Bahrain ranks first in the world in terms of the ratio of the number of mosques and places of worship to its population and area, and everyone practices their religious rituals within positive coexistence, he added.
In 1999, the SCIA President said, Bahrain entered a new era in its history under the exceptional and wise leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa who inaugurated his prosperous reign by launching a comprehensive national reform and development project that builds on the country’s values, identity, customs and traditions.
Bahrain, under the leadership of His Majesty, carries the message of pluralism, coexistence and peace to the whole world, while supporting all international efforts in this regard based on the firm belief in the importance of the message for the welfare of all parts of the globe, he added.
HM the King has launched a series of lofty initiatives that included the establishment of the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence, the inauguration of the King Hamad Chair for Inter-faith religious Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence in the prestigious Italian University of Sapienza, the signing of the Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the United States, and the launch of the “King Hamad Global Centre for Inter-Faith Dialogue and Peaceful Co-Existence” in Los Angeles, USA.
There is also His Majesty’s invitation to His Eminence Sheikh of Al-Azhar and His Holiness the Pope to participate in the dialogue forum.
“The SCIA is among the leading national institutions in promoting coexistence in Bahrain, and the law has mandated it to work towards bringing sects closer together, strengthening unity among Muslims, preserving and consolidating tolerant Islamic values and traditions, and highlighting the tolerant spirit of Islam, and its uniqueness with moderation and moderation.
“The SCIA went beyond this limit to towards pursuing dialogue between Islam and other monotheistic religions and civilisations in the world,” he said.
“Bahrain and its wise leadership have carried the message of coexistence and peace with care, faith and loyalty, so that our country would remain a beacon for spreading these noble values, and a center for qualitative proactive global initiatives in this field. We do believe in the role of these lofty human values and their effective contribution to the welfare, security and advancement of the world.”
After that, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, addressed the ceremony. He expressed sincere thanks and appreciation to HM the King for calling for holing the Bahrain Dialogue Forum, given the fact that “Religious dialogue is very important for all nations and the modern world as a whole, which is currently going through a difficult period.”
He pointed out that the Bahrain Dialogue Forum is an opportunity to learn about “forms and ways of existence of various other cultures and religions.”
Referring to his country’s experience, he affirmed that Tatarsta offers a distinguished model of coexistence and interaction among its peoples and religions, stressing the importance of boosting these values to achieve progress for peoples.
Then, UAE Tolerance and Coexistence Minister, Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, delivered a statement in which he expressed thanks and gratitude to HM King Hamad for his keenness to spread and affirm the principles of tolerance, coexistence and mutual respect.
He expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Kingdom of Bahrain for hosting this forum, which reflects its pioneering role and distinction in promoting dialogue, tolerance and coexistence, as well as in sending a message of hope and confidence in the future of the world.
He affirmed that the elite religious representatives and leaders are participating in the Dialogue Forum to achieve a community based on religious freedom and belief.
He indicated that the Forum aims to reaffirm spiritual belief, religion, and values shared by human beings everywhere, provide a basis for the creation of legal, moral, ethical, behavioral and economic changes in people’s lives, achieving dialogue and joint action.
He touched on the efforts of the UAE, under the chairmanship of President His Highness Shaikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in supporting the values of tolerance and coexistence.
After that, Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch Turkey, His All Holiness Bartholomew, affirmed the importance of dialogue in confronting bias, intolerance and misunderstanding of the other, as well as their negative impacts on peace.
He called for exerting more joint efforts that would consolidate the values of dialogue and g coexistence, which will contribute to overcoming crises.
Then, Ambassador Hussein Ibrahim Taha, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), expressed thanks and appreciation to HM King Hamad, and to the Kingdom of Bahrain for organising this forum, noting that the initiative aims to serve humanity by promoting constructive inter-religious values for peaceful coexistence and tolerance among all.
He stressed that the forum is of great importance at the level of ideas that support the values that call for respect for ethnic and religious difference and cultural diversity,
He reviewed OIC’s efforts in consolidating the principles of dialogue, as well as the attention it attaches to everything aimed at achieving peace and mutual respect among religions, and spreading the values of love and tolerance among different nations and peoples.
Miguel Ángel Moratinos, the UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC), also addressed the opening ceremony of the Bahrain Dialogue. He expressed his delight at participating in this forum, within the framework of the Kingdom’s vison for tolerance and coexistence, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, in supporting the values of coexistence and respect for cultural diversity, religious pluralism, as one of the Kingdom’s top priorities.
He commended the efforts made by His Majesty the King in supporting international efforts aimed at rejecting extremism, violence and hatred, noting the Kingdom’s great history and present based on respect for freedoms and cultural pluralism and religious.
He touched on the Islamic religion’s respect for the values of coexistence, interaction with others and everything that serves humanity and pushes it forward.
A film on the Kingdom of Bahrain’s history and deep-rooted values of coexistence and peace was shown. It highlighted Bahrain’s long-standing status as a destination for all cultures, as well as the advanced level it has reached in this field during HM King Hamad’s prosperous era.
