Religious leaders from across the kingdom will lead a special online prayers for peace service today as US President Donald Trump and Iran threatened to escalate their war and deepen a regional crisis.
On Saturday, Trump threatened to ‘obliterate’ Iran’s power plants if Tehran did not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, suggesting a significant escalation barely a day after he talked about ‘winding down’ the war, now in its fourth week.
Iran said yesterday it would attack US infrastructure as well as energy and desalination facilities in the Gulf if Trump carried out his threat, which he made as US Marines and heavy landing craft continued to head to the region.
This Is Bahrain chairperson Betsy B Mathieson believes there was never a more opportune time for common sense and calm to prevail and, perhaps, the power of prayer and the collective will of the people will help deescalate tensions. “We will pray as ‘one family’ for the Kingdom of Bahrain, the country’s leadership and all whose dedicated service keeps us safe during this time of challenge,” she said.
“Many Bahrainis are marking Eid and expatriates looking towards Easter, normally a time for family gatherings full of joy and hope. This year is more challenging so we need to unite and stay positive.”
The service will be hosted in Manama today at 11am and members of the public are welcome to join in online.
Due to the current situation, only the religious leaders will attend in person and the service will be beamed live to the homes and businesses of worshippers and supporters.
Participants will include representatives of St Christopher’s Cathedral, the National Evangelical Church, Mar Thoma Church, Sacred Heart Church, Saint Mary’s Indian Orthodox Cathedral, The Seafarers Mission, the Bah’ai Community, the Bohra Community, the Hindu Temple and others.
Special Prayers will be featured online from the Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf, the Right Reverend Sean Semple and Kathleen Snow, Worldwide President of The Mothers Union.
Ms Mathieson added: “This is our way of praying for peace and thanking His Majesty King Hamad, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and his government, the Interior Ministry and all civil authorities who have kept us all safe and made us feel protected and cared for during this time of challenge.
“We cannot yet come together in person, but we can join as one family in prayer. Bahrain is our home, and we want to say ‘thank you’ and to make it clear … we put our faith in God Almighty and our trust in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
“We believe strongly in the collective power of prayer and invite everyone to join us online.”
The service will also highlight the work of the seafarers, their plight and pray for their wellbeing during these challenging times.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is working on evacuation plans for ships and seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz due to the war.
“Safety of navigation is paramount, because also, with any measure that we put in place, we don’t want to increase the risk on the seafarers,” said IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez.
Some 20,000 seafarers and nearly 2,000 ships are stranded in the region, he added.
The Anglican Church in Bahrain takes care of the Mission to Seafarers here, including the welfare and wellbeing of the crews visiting our shores.
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