Manama: Hundreds of people flocked to a conference in Washington DC to learn about Bahrain’s culture, diverse society and business opportunities.
The ‘This is Bahrain’ Conference and Exhibition was held at the Andrew W Mellon Auditorium yesterday by the Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations (BFEA) in collaboration with the American Chamber of Commerce Bahrain (AmCham Bahrain).
More than 200 delegates representing 40 Bahraini organisations, who are part of the international roadshow, aim to meet representatives from US-based religious groups.
They will also travel to New York, where another conference and exhibition will be held on Monday at the New York Hilton Midtown.
“Today, in an ever-darkening world, we believe that the Bahraini model of religious freedom, peaceful co-existence, mutual respect and a multi-faith multicultural society that lives in peace and harmony is a powerful tool to combat terrorism and extremism,” said BFEA secretary-general Betsy Mathieson during the event.
“Terrorism is a global disease that no country is immune from and we must join together to defeat this evil plague of modern times that threatens to wipe out our peaceful, harmonious co-existence.
“We believe that ignorance is the enemy of peace, we believe that ignorance breeds mistrust and fear of others’ beliefs that opens the doors for our vulnerable young people to be preyed upon by terrorists.”
Former Industry and Commerce Ministry Under-Secretary Dr Abdulla Mansoor said people were being misled about events in Bahrain by the American media’s “unfair” coverage.
“Unfortunately misled information is harming what’s beautiful and unique in Bahrain, but the strong relationship we have with the US makes it a responsibility for us to convey love – something people in Bahrain feel, reach and spread,” he added.
“There are very few fanatics back home and they don’t harm the one family spirit a bit and the evidence is the huge multi-cultural delegation that is here and reflects the truth about our country.”
Opportunity
US Chamber of Commerce and US-Bahrain Business Council representative Jennifer Miel said business between the two countries increased by 22 per cent last year.
“Business with Bahrain was $2 billion last year and we believe that our businesses have a good opportunity in Bahrain with low-cost production and 100pc foreign ownership with Mondelez International as an example, while textile products in Bahrain have a strong market in the US – simply Bahrain is our gateway in the region,” she added.
Other speakers at the event were Bahrain Business and Professional Women International Federation (BPW) president Shaikha Hind bint Salman Al Khalifa and former Foreign Ministry under-secretary Karim Al Shaker.
The chief guest at the event was Bahrain’s Ambassador to the US Shaikh Abdulla bin Mohammed Al Khalifa.
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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