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H.E Shaikha Hala bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, Director General of Culture & Arts at the Culture Authority for Culture & Antiquities, participated on a remote virtual forum on “ Intercultural Tolerance for a Better Future”, which was organized by the  Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), and Word Peace Institute, on 16 November 2020.

Speaking to the forum participants, H.E Shaikha Hala bint Mohammed Al Khalifa “World Tolerance Day is mirror that reflects human conscience; it sheds light on a universal human value that should be shared by all societies so that differences shall be a richness and a richness that unites us all”.

H.E added saying: “In addition to World Tolerance Day, I shall also mark another significant day we have to celebrate too, namely, UN International Day of Conscience, adopted in response to the unique initiative launched by the Late Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain, May God Bless His Soul, who has left us this last week, but whose legacy and memorial universal deeds shall never forgotten. Indeed, the International Day of Conscience crowns the Late HRH Premier’s initiatives and sound vision on the inter-relationship between peace and development, and that none of them can be achieved without the other. I would like also to stress the importance of King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence that reflects the Bahraini Wise Leadership vision of His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, King of Bahrain, May God Protect Him who   seeks to promote the unique Bahraini values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence”

H.E also said that respect the differences and accept the others is not something new in the Kingdom. Indeed, Bahrain has always been a land of freedom since the dawn of history and the first settling civilizations here. Bahraini constitution reads as follow: “Freedom of conscience will be absolute. The State shall guarantee the sanctity of places of worship, freedom to practice religious rights, take out processions and hold religious congregations according to the custom observed in the country”.

Moreover, H.E argued that Bahrain’s exceptional common good –based life philosophy rests upon two main universal principles, namely co-existence and tolerance. H.E said that the city of Manama is the perfect example of co-existence, hosting more than 550 different ethnic, cultural and demographic human concentration in a less than 500 Km. A closer look at Manama’s melting pot, clearly shows how it is a tolerant home to many religions and ethnicities, where Christians, Hindus, Jews and others worship openly alongside their Shia And Sunni Muslim brothers and that all cultures are respected. Religious freedom is on display everywhere in Bahrain; churches and temples stand alongside Muslim mosques. Indeed, Manama, Bahrain’s capital, even boasts the only synagogue in the region and a Jewish cemetery. Hindus worship in a 200-year-old temple, which is around the corner from the Sikh temple. The Gulf region’s largest Catholic Church is under construction there as well.

Bahrain has been identified as the site of the cradle of sacred ancient Dilmun civilization, home to Mesopotamia Gods, Sumer, the Indus valley and other civilizations that settled in the island, building fortresses, temples and different habitation units. In the Epic of Babylonian Gilgamesh, the existence of Dilmun is described as “Pure are the cities -- and you are the ones to whom they are allotted. Pure is Dilmun land. Pure is Sumer -- and you are the ones to whom it is allotted. Pure is Dilmun land. Pure is Dilmun land. Virginal is Dilmun land. Virginal is Dilmun land. Pristine is Dilmun land”.

H.E Shaikha Hala also said that Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities is keen to renew its commitment to champion a vital social value, which is “Tolerance”, in many direct and indirect ways, by nominating Manama city as model for co-existence to be registered on UNESCO World Heritage List. There is no doubt that this is BACA’s strong belief in the rich civilizational heritage of our beloved Kingdom, which is in line with all the scheduled cultural events and seasons this year, without segregation between an expat or Bahrain, or colour or race, H.E added. Bahrain is characterized by co-existence; it is our way of life throughout public entities, as well as embodied by various official public or private cultural institutions, H.E concluded.