BAHRAIN’s diverse religious communities came together last night in a show of unity at Bahrain Fort.
The inter-faith event, organised by King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence in collaboration with Al Bayareq Society, marked the International Day of Human Fraternity, which fell yesterday.
The Stand for Peace gathering included speeches, musical performances by children and a lanterns’ vigil.
National Evangelical Church pastor and Al Bayareq Society chairman Reverend Hani Aziz said the message of peace, harmony and love by multi-faith community societies is stronger than any official voice.
“It is a more clear heart-felt message when ordinary people speak about tolerance and peaceful coexistence, much more powerful than any official capacity or government channel,” he said.
“This is what makes Bahrain a model in human fraternity, even before the United Nations (UN) existed or even the day got declared.
“Just by looking around, anyone can realise the multi-layer structure of Bahrain’s community, in which it is a mixture of people from different colours, races, faiths, religions, backgrounds and ideologies live together, visit each other, socialise with each other and have their worship places built side-by-side.”
He added that Bahrain’s remarkable stride was growing in popularity globally because it is being portrayed through children and young people.
“When you see children or young people from multiple ethnicities coming together to this event or even just enjoying time together as a group, it is clear the country is in a healthy brotherhood position.
“Peaceful coexistence is gaining popularity and the future is bright as the torch passes on from one generation to another.”
The centre’s executive director Abdulla Al Mannai said Bahrain Fort, a Unesco World Heritage Site, was chosen for the event because it was a witness to human fraternity over the years.
“This place stood strong for centuries because people of all faiths lived here as a unit in harmony and peace,” he said.
“It is a core element in Bahrain’s deep-rooted peaceful coexistence scene, which has been taken in a much higher level through His Majesty King Hamad’s vision of spreading the message of peaceful coexistence.”
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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