His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa today at Sakhir Palace received delegates and sponsors of ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN’ that was held in Los Angeles, USA, on the sidelines of the international launch of Bahrain Declaration and the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence patronized by HM the King.

HM the King was briefed on the success of the activities and the huge audience attended, which reflected the wise royal vision of peaceful coexistence and dialogue between various religions and cultures and highlighted Bahrain’s leading role at the civilizational and humane level, as well as its role throughout history in preserving freedom of religion, sects, coexistence and tolerance.

HM the King delivered the following address:

“In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate
Praise be to God and prayers and peace be upon God’s Messenger, his family and all his companions
Peace and God’s mercy and blessings be upon you

“We are pleased to meet you following the outstanding participation and the good results achieved by "This is Bahrain" during your recent visit to the United States of America, announcing the launch of The King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence to be set up in the Kingdom of Bahrain in the near future, as well as The Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration as a global document to promote religious freedom.
“We thank on this occasion our dear son His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, as our representative at this event, for his invaluable dedication that contributed to clarifying his country's firm position on the protection of religious freedoms and respect for pluralism and intellectual, cultural and religious diversity. Such a position is an ideal way to preserve the specifity and status of the Kingdom of Bahrain as the home of love and peace.
“We are proud with the orientations and objectives of this global project that carries noble messages that see tolerance and religious rapprochement as ideal cultural values to protect societies and preserve their civil features and civilization and dialogue as the safe means of achieving human entente, building bridges of tolerance and harmony among peoples and confronting extremism and terrorism.
In conclusion, we would like to express our thanks and gratitude to His Excellency Mr Samir Baharna, Member of the Shura Council, and to Ms Betsy Mathieson, Secretary General of the Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations (BFEA), and all the brothers and sisters who support the Federation's activities and work, congratulating everyone on the outstanding success of its recent events.
We appreciate your sincere efforts to establish the Kingdom of Bahrain as a global centre to embrace and launch projects and initiatives aimed at promoting cultural rapprochement between religions and cultures, and which we see as indispensable for achieving peace and prosperity for the sake and progress of our human societies.
Peace and God’s mercy and blessing be upon you.”

Mathieson gave the following speech:

"Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, it is our honour and privilege for our ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN’ delegates and sponsors to be received here today by Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, We have recently returned from the International launch of The Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration, and The King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence, which was held in Los Angeles, California.
Your Majesty, I must begin by congratulating Your Majesty on the realisation of Your Majesty’s vision to share with the world the Kingdom of Bahrain’s centuries old model of religious freedom and peaceful coexistence through the launch of three unique, world-firsts, namely, the Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration, King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence and King Hamad Chair in Inter-Faith Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence at Sapienza University in Rome.
The Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration, which echoes Your Majesty’s words and beliefs, has been widely acclaimed by all who have read it as a ‘global game-changer’ in the fight against terrorism and has resulted in well deserved recognition for Your Majesty’s many achievements, reforms and aspirations.

Your Majesty, The Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration in conjunction with the King Hamad Global Center and the King Hamad Chair are precious gifts not just for Bahrain, but for all of humanity, to be treasured not just for today but for our future generations to come. Your Majesty, you are a shining example to us all that "what can be dreamed can be achieved’.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank His Royal Highness The Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa for the support of his Ministries who have provided us with details of the achievements of His Royal Highness’ Ministries which we proudly share on our travels around the world with "THIS IS BAHRAIN" events.

Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, has personally been the strongest supporter of The Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration, The King Hamad Global Center and The King Hamad Chair, and HRH the Crown Prince has afforded us every assistance in our humble endeavours and we offer our deepest gratitude to him.

I would like to say thank you to His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa whose support has been with us from the beginning and we were proud and honoured by his presence at "THIS IS BAHRAIN’ in Rome for the official launch of The King Hamad Chair and as Your Majesty’s Personal Representative in Los Angeles for the international launch of The Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration and The King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence.

His Excellency Mr Ali Saleh Al Saleh, Chairman of The Shura Council is deserving of our special thanks as His Excellency never hesitates to ask what we need and how he can best assist us and we are very grateful to have had several Shura Council Members volunteering to be part of our ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN" team and we thank all of them for their contributions.

His Excellency the Minister of Interior, Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa’s support on several occasions has been truly excellent with the internationally acclaimed Police Band performing in Rome and Los Angeles and of course their earlier outstanding performance in celebration of Bahrain’s National Day in Washington DC, all of which were warmly praised by our guests.

I would also like to personally thank His Excellency The Deputy Minister of Interior, Shaikh Talal bin Mohammed Al Khalifa who has always been very supportive and has contributed so much valuable advice and insight to us, helping to inspire our efforts even further.

The support of several Ministers cannot go unmentioned as their Excellencies commitment to support and participate actively in our ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN" events have always been a big hit with guests who have had their eyes opened about the incredible benefits provide for Bahrainis and expatriates alike in The Kingdom of Bahrain. A special thank you to His Excellency The Minister of Housing, Mr Bassam Al Hamer, His Excellency The Minister of Labour and Social Development, Mr Jameel Humaidan and Her Excellency The Minister of Health, Mrs Faeqa Al Saleh and His Excellency The Information Affairs Authority Minister Mr Ali Al Rumaihi and the teams from Bahrain Television and The Bahrain News Agency for their high levels of professionalism.

Your Majesty, media coverage is vital to the success of "THIS IS BAHRAIN" events and we are happy to have with us today representatives of the most valued Television Channels. I would like to take this opportunity to thank: Saudi First Channel; Saudi News Channel; Kuwait Television; Egypt’s First Channel; Dubai Television; Abu Dhabi Television; Al Arabiya Channel; CNN Channel and Al Hurra Channel, we are most grateful to you all.
Our local media are to be congratulated on their support and coverage and I would like to thank Akhbar Al Khleej, Al Ayam, Al Watan, Al Bilad, the Gulf Daily News and The Daily Tribune.

Rabbi Marvin Hier and the Simon Wiesenthal Centre are to be thanked and congratulated for their invaluable support and assistance in Los Angeles, their contribution to the success of the event was truly excellent.

I also express my gratitude to Reverend Johnnie Moore for his excellent support and contribution towards the development of The Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration.

I would like to say a very big thank you to His Excellency Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Director of The Office of The First deputy Prime Minister, for all his assistance in securing the support of our Sponsors and we are indeed most grateful to all of our Sponsors for their contributions. His Excellency was unfailingly professional, polite and good humoured even when on an almost daily basis he was being nagged by a very determined woman! Thank you Shaikh Salman you are a true gentleman and your patience and dedicated efforts are very much valued and appreciated.

Thank you also to His Excellency Shaikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Khalifa, The Kingdom of Bahrain’s Ambassador to Washington and his Embassy staff, who have been very supportive.

Your Majesty has always impressed upon us the importance of the ‘One Family" spirit in Bahrain and our ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN’ Organising Team are deserving of a very special mention. Your Majesty, our ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN’ team are a family of Bahrainis and Expatriates, from Manama, Muharraq, Riffa, and Sitra and as such they are a true reflection of ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN". Our organising team are volunteers from very different backgrounds and faiths but we are united in our goals and in our love for our King and Country and our passion to share with the world, the humble Bahraini way of life. I cannot find the words to thank all of them for their incredible contributions as they work around the clock to take Your Majesty’s vision to the world as we strive to be mirrors of the true face of life in our beloved Kingdom. The ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN’ organising team and our family of dedicated delegates are true ambassadors and I thank each and every one of them from the bottom of my heart.

Your Majesty, The Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration opens with Your Majesty’s words " Ignorance is The Enemy of Peace’ and closes with Your Majesty’s Words, " Faith Illuminates our Path to Peace’.

Your Majesty’s words are what inspired the creation of "THIS IS BAHRAIN" and we are proud and overjoyed that these very same words are now inspiring religious leaders, academics, presidents, students, and men and women all over the world to live in peaceful coexistence in the spirit of mutual respect and love. Your Majesty, this is the Bahraini way, "THIS IS BAHRAIN"."

Source: BNA