Bahrain a ‘model for peaceful coexistence’

TDT | Manama

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Bahrain has shown that people of different faiths and cultures can live side by side and do so well.

MP Dr Maryam Al Dhaen said the country stands as a global example of tolerance, shaped by the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and supported by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

She made her remarks on the occasion of the World Day for Cultural Diversity, observed annually on 21 May.

The lawmaker described it as a chance to revisit Bahrain’s experience, where churches, temples and mosques exist side by side and where shared human values are practised in daily life.

Al Dhaen referred to a recent article by HM the King in an American newspaper, noting that it reflected a deeply rooted national approach based on respect for religious, sectarian and cultural difference.

She said Bahrain has become known as a place of peace and tolerance, both in the region and abroad.

Bahrain Declaration

The MP also spoke of the Bahrain Declaration, launched by His Majesty, which rejects violence, extremism and incitement carried out in the name of religion.

That same approach, she said, had helped shape a society built on kindness, fairness and openness to others.

She noted that Bahrain had not limited these values to its own borders.

Rather, it had taken active steps to share its example with the wider world through exchanges, international forums and institutions such as the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence.

Cultural diversity

Al Dhaen concluded by calling for the use of cultural diversity as a means of progress and dialogue.

Bahrain, she said, provides a setting where such diversity is welcomed within a framework of rights and freedoms.

This, in her view, helps deepen mutual understanding, supports development goals and reinforces the bonds that keep communities stable.