Countering hate speech goes beyond confronting offensive rhetoric and extends to safeguarding human dignity and preventing hatred from turning into violence and division, Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani has affirmed.
He was speaking during his participation yesterday in the Global Conference on Promoting Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue and Tolerance in Countering Hate Speech, held at the United Nations headquarters in New York and chaired by Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Co-operation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita.
Dr Al Zayani warned of the rapid spread of extremism and disinformation through digital platforms.
“Bahrain upholds freedom of opinion and expression as a fundamental right, but this freedom should not be used as a pretext for inciting hatred, in accordance with international human rights law and the Rabat Plan of Action,” he said.
“Combating this phenomenon is a shared responsibility among governments, educational and media institutions, civil society and technology companies.”
Dr Al Zayani said His Majesty King Hamad has established an approach that views religious and cultural diversity as a source of strength and coexistence as a cornerstone of security.
International recognition of this approach was demonstrated when Guinness World Records, on January 28 this year, recognised Bahrain as having the highest density of places of worship for various religions in the world.
“This is not merely a statistic; it is a testament to the fact that coexistence in Bahrain is not just a slogan, but a lived reality,” he said.
The Foreign Minister added that Bahrain has translated this vision into a number of international initiatives, most notably the International Day of Coexistence, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to be observed annually on January 28; the International Day of Conscience; the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence and its associated award; and the Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration on Religious Freedom and Belief.
He added that His Majesty has also called for an international convention to criminalise religious, sectarian and racist hate speech and prevent the misuse of media and digital platforms to incite extremism – a call, he said, that Bahrain reiterates from the conference.
Dr Al Zayani emphasised the need for international efforts to address the root causes of hate speech and build societies’ resilience against intolerance.
He affirmed Bahrain’s belief that dialogue is the optimal path to overcoming division, knowledge is the most effective means of countering intolerance, and respect for human dignity is common ground shared by all religions and societies.
He also affirmed Bahrain’s readiness to work with Morocco, the United Nations and all partners to translate the outcomes of the conference into tangible action.
The kingdom’s delegation to the conference included Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York Jamal Fares Al Rowaiei and Co-ordination and Follow-up Sector Head Saeed Abdulkhaleq Saeed.
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