FM Calls for Global Action Against Hate Speech

Bahrain Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani has called for stronger international efforts to promote interfaith and intercultural dialogue and counter hate speech, warning that online platforms are accelerating the spread of extremism and misinformation.

Dr Al Zayani made the remarks while representing Bahrain at the Global Conference on Promoting Dialogue among Religions and Cultures and Tolerance in Countering Hate Speech, held today at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The conference was chaired by Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, and attended by senior officials, representatives of states and international organisations, religious leaders and civil society representatives.

In his speech, Dr Al Zayani expressed Bahrain’s appreciation to Morocco and the United Nations, represented by the Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, for organising the conference at a time when dialogue, understanding and efforts to counter hate speech are increasingly needed.

He said the issue extends beyond confronting offensive speech, stressing that it involves protecting human dignity and preventing hatred from turning into violence and division, particularly as digital platforms enable extremism and misinformation to spread at unprecedented speed.

Dr Al Zayani reaffirmed Bahrain’s commitment to freedom of opinion and expression as a fundamental right, while stressing that such freedom should not be used as a pretext to incite hatred, in line with international human rights law and the Rabat Plan of Action.

He also highlighted that combating hate speech requires a shared responsibility involving governments, educational and media institutions, civil society and technology companies.

Dr Al Zayani said His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has established an approach that views religious and cultural diversity as a source of strength and coexistence as a foundation for security.

He noted that international recognition of this approach came when Guinness World Records recorded Bahrain on January 28 this year as the country with the highest density of places of worship for different religions in the world.

He said the recognition was more than a record, describing it as testimony that coexistence in Bahrain is not simply a slogan but a reality experienced in the country.