Second Conference on Freedom of Religion and Belief concludes

Manama, May 4 (BNA): The Ambassador of the European Union to Bahrain, residing in Riyadh, Patrick Simonnet, stressed the importance of holding and organizing the second annual conference on freedom of religion and belief in Riyadh. Bahrain, stressing that it is a source of great pride for all present.

In his speech before the Brussels Forum on Cyberspace, he said that the climate issue was raised during the conference because it is closely related to the concept of freedom of religion and belief, being one of the freedoms enjoyed by the European Union, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Bahrain. The whole world attach utmost importance.

He stressed the importance of supporting freedoms in a concrete way, by launching clear programs and initiatives, citing Bahrain’s efforts in this regard.

“Today, we learn from Bahrain’s good practices and the respect that prevailed over long periods between different religions and races,” he said, expressing his appreciation for the efforts of the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence.

He expressed his confidence in the success of next year’s edition, in light of the working group that will be formed, believing that work between religions and religions must be collective, stressing the need to strengthen exemplary cooperation between Bahrain and the European Union.

Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence, Betsy Matheson, Chair of the Board of Directors of the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence, Betsy Matheson, confirmed the success of this edition of the forum, which was attended by more than 60 young participants from 25 countries of the European Union, Noting that bilateral working groups will be formed to follow up on the implementation of the announced projects.

While announcing the recommendations of the conference, Matheson called for enhancing exchange and communication between student groups from the European Union, Bahrain and the GCC countries.

She said that the conference called for the prevention of hatred, the holding of wonderful workshops, and the participation of all religious communities in open dialogue and discussions that serve the issue of climate change and its connection to religious freedoms, as well as relations with important topics such as cyberspace and the responsibility of spreading the message of peace.

She revealed that Bahrain will participate in an important one-week event that will be held in Brussels on November 13 and 18 to highlight the importance of promoting freedom of religion and peaceful coexistence.

Francisco Denis, representing the Portuguese Parliament, called for the dissemination of good practices and meeting the needs of the world regarding the exchange of ideas and proposals, stressing the great success achieved by the conference during the past days in clarifying the dimensions of the issue according to the concepts. Inclusiveness, tolerance, rapprochement and dialogue.

He pointed out that despite the challenges the world faces, efforts must be made to reduce violent speeches and fight discrimination in all its forms, noting that education is the best and most successful means to achieve this.

He called for promoting critical thinking, and correcting some concepts related to religions among some students through direct contact.

The European Union Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief, Frans Van Daele, stressed the importance of promoting freedom of expression, as part of broader, broader and more inclusive freedoms and concepts, stressing the need to create an open dialogue and promote a sense of participation amid the instability of the political situation in the world.

He also urged more attention to cyberspace to ensure that its platforms are not used to spread hate speech, stressing that education and learning should focus on identity and openness.

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