Manama, Feb. 6 (BNA): Bahrain joins the world in celebrating the International Interfaith Harmony Week in the first week of February.
Launched in 2007, this initiative called on Muslim and Christian leaders to engage in dialogue on the basis of two common core religious commandments: love of God, and love of neighbor, without prejudice to any of their religious beliefs.
Bahrain has always been at the forefront of pioneering countries in adopting a culture of peaceful coexistence and embracing different races, religions and cultures on its soil.
Bahrain has always been a safe destination for stable living and an oasis of peace, pluralism and tolerance.
In its recent history, Bahrain has been keen to build on the rich and great legacy of tolerance and human coexistence, by continuing comprehensive development progress under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
The Kingdom was prepared to be a role model internationally, as the government, headed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, participated in the integrated efforts that supported the consolidation of these values through numerous humanitarian, cultural, educational and religious initiatives.
He contributed significantly to building bridges of rapprochement, understanding and respect between peoples, cultures and religions.
The King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence in Bahrain launched the “Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration” in Los Angeles on September 13, 2017.
The initiative was a starting point for the Kingdom to become a global platform for peace, understanding and interfaith dialogue.
The Declaration is a vital document on His Majesty’s vision and philosophy, including the principles that form the pillars of coexistence for peace in the world.
The inauguration of the King Hamad Chair for Interfaith Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence at the Italian Sapienza University in Rome in 2018 is another important initiative that clearly expressed His Majesty’s interest in education and scientific research.
It conveys Bahrain’s distinguished experience of peaceful coexistence to the international community to serve as a role model.
The chair is the first of its kind in the world that was designed to enlighten and engage young people from all over the world as a way to combat terrorism, extremism and fanaticism, by studying the philosophy of wise leadership of His Majesty the King.
The King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence also launched the “Faith – in Leadership” program in cooperation with the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the United Kingdom, and established the “King Hamad Center for Cyber Peace to Promote Tolerance and Coexistence among Youth.” program in New York.
On January 26, 2023, the Center opened the “Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain” in Rome.
Starting in Europe and choosing the Italian capital in particular constitutes an important stage in introducing the international community to the importance of the document that reflects Bahrain’s model of peaceful coexistence, pluralism and religious freedom throughout the ages.
The Vatican News praised the European launch of the “Declaration of the Kingdom of Bahrain” in Rome, stressing that the declaration constitutes an important document in the context of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
He recalled the praises of His Holiness Pope Francis during his historic visit to Bahrain in November 2022, when he stressed that the Declaration is an important document for respect for human rights and dialogue between religions.
The news channel also touched on the launch of the Bahrain Declaration in Sao Paulo, Brazil, describing it as presenting the Kingdom as a strong supporter of global peace initiatives.
In the context of the celebration of the International Week of Interfaith Harmony, another significant day has been added to the calendar of days that celebrate and promote the culture and values of peace and tolerance – “The International Day of Human Fraternity”.
The day, which is celebrated on February 4, was adopted by the United Nations in 2019 after the historic signing of the Human Fraternity Document between His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence, the Imam of Al-Azhar, Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Chairman of the Council of Muslim Elders in Abu Dhabi.
It was a joint declaration of 20 articles urging peace among all peoples of the world of all their different religions and sects.
The Human Fraternity Document stipulated the consolidation of the values of peace, the establishment of a culture of tolerance, an emphasis on the importance of the relationship between East and West, the protection of places of worship, the fight against terrorism, the guarantee of freedom of belief, and the protection of the rights of women and children. And the weak.
The document aims to be a guide for future generations to foster a culture of mutual respect, recognizing that we are all members of one human family sharing everything in humanity without discrimination.
FKN