Royal efforts to boost religious tolerance, co-existence praised

The Assistant Foreign Minister, Abdullah bin Faisal bin Jabur Al-Doseri, hailed His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's opinion piece, which was published i the "The Washington Times", in which His Majesty affirmed that the Bahraini community has embraced the values of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence for centuries.
The Assistant Foreign Minister stressed that His Majesty the King has always noted the importance of representing all denominations in the community, which is an approach that must be used by everyone to make proposals that contribute to the development of all without exclusion of any party.
He also stated that this moderate approach was adopted by the Kingdom of Bahrain since it was founded as a civil state, for the Kingdom has a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society, where mosques and churches are built next to one another.
The respect of the Bahraini society for all religions and races is a principle that is upheld in daily life, which made the Kingdom of Bahrain a model of peaceful coexistence and respect for the others.

Al-Doseri said that His Majesty the King affirmed and strengthened these values through the reform approach, which led many countries and international organizations to pay tribute to His Majesty's efforts in spreading a culture of religious tolerance, multiculturalism and respect for others.
He added that the Kingdom of Bahrain has become a safe destination for people to live and work in as well as to practice their religious rituals freely, as reflected by many of the international awards that Bahrain has recently won.

The Assistant Foreign Minister stressed that everyone must respect freedom of expression in accordance with law and order and without causing harm to others. He added that the opinion piece by His Majesty the King also presents the Bahraini society and how Bahrainis were brougt up, which reflects His Majesty's continuous follow-up of the reform process, stressing that it is a long journey that needs the solidarity of all members of society. His Majesty the King had previously stressed the importance of establishing tolerance as an approach, consolidating it as a value, and implementing it in all countries of the world.

Al-Doseri also praised the initiative of His Majesty the King to launch the Bahrain Declaration on Tolerance between Religions and Peaceful Coexistence which is in line with Bahrain's international stance that promotes peace and religious tolerance among all peoples of the world from all sects, cultures, religions and races.
He noted that the formation of the Declaration after consultation with the clergy of various religions and sects is a model of tolerance, a roadmap to establish peace throughout the world, and a rejection of ethnicity, racism and war, adding that His Majesty's call to the world to promote the values of tolerance through this Declaration is a call for peace and appreciation to all its supporters, for the sake of human development and a better future for the coming generations.

The Assistant Foreign Minister stressed that the forces of evil will fail because of the power of faith, true love and pluralism that combat forced religious commitment and acts of violence in the name of religion.
The world with its leaders, governments and officials must shoulder the responsibility to respect and protect all religious minorities, fight religious discrimination against any sect, and endorse religious pluralism, he added. Bahrain’s Declaration should be an inspiration to the world, and a motivation to exert more efforts towards development, Al-Doseri said.

Source: BNA