A taste of diverse, tolerant Bahrain in Washington

Washington, Sep25 (BNA): "This is Bahrain" exhibition opened yesterday from 4 PM until 10 PM (Washington local time) at Andrew W Mellon Auditorium in Washington D.C. The event includes fifty pavilions showcasing the contribution of social and economic participants, in addition to civil society and political institutions which are all taking part in the campaign to promote Bahrain and project its diversity and landmark achievements. Residents from the State of Washington DC visited different pavilions and had a taste of Bahrain’s heritage, culture and long-standing religious tolerance. The participants brought a message of tolerance and co-existence between all Bahrainis, projecting the Kingdom's model of peaceful co-existence, past and present. The "This is Bahrain" conference also opened at Andrew W Mellon Auditorium in Washington DC amid massive presence. . Secretary General of the Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations (BFEA) Betsy Mathieson addressed the attendees, along with Foreign Ministry former undersecretary Karim Al-Shaker and President of the Bahrain Business and Professional Women International Club Shaikha Hind bint Salman Al-Khalifa Industry and Commerce Ministry former Undersecretary Dr. Abdulla Mansour and US – Bahrain Business Council representative Jennifer Miel also spoke at the conference. (BFEA) secretary-general opened the conference delivered the following speech: "Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN" Washington DC, Conference and Dialogue. We have been overwhelmed by the warmth of your welcome and the generosity of true American hospitality. Thank you for making us feel at home. Our journey to be with you here today in your beautiful capital city of Washington DC has been a long one. Our ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN" journey began in May 2014 in the British capital, London, followed by Berlin, Germany in October 2014 Brussels, Belgium in January 2015 and Paris, France just a few weeks ago. "THIS IS BAHRAIN’ delegates are a family of Bahrainis and expatriates who travel together to share our humble Bahraini way of life. We travel to illustrate our outstanding religious freedom, peaceful co-existence and harmonious multi-faith, multicultural society and to learn from YOU, our friends, along the way. We are especially happy to be here as the United States of America celebrates the visit of the head of the catholic church, His Holiness the Pope, the Jewish Yom Kippur celebrations and today the beginning of the Muslim Eid al Fitr holidays. I want to let you know that ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN" arriving here in Washington DC during this particularly special time was no accident. This is a unique moment here in the United States of America, as Christians, Jews and Muslims, three of the world’s greatest religions are peacefully joined in worship and celebration, respecting and sharing each other’s beliefs and values in total harmony. We chose to be here at this moment because, Ladies and gentlemen, this is a true reflection of our everyday life in the Kingdom of Bahrain. For centuries Bahrain has been known as a haven of peaceful co-existence offering an oasis of calm to those fleeing religious persecution, the chains of slavery and the horrors of conflict. The Kingdom of Bahrain has always permitted and actively encouraged all religious groups to practise their faith and celebrate their festivals and today this Right to Religious Freedom is enshrined in our Constitution and sincerely and determinedly upheld by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, despite the very real and dangerous threat from ISIS and other terrorist groups in our region. This week Bahrain celebrated the Jewish Yom Kippur, today we celebrate the Muslim Eid Al Fitr, in a few weeks we will celebrate the Shia Muslim festival of Ashoora followed by a Christian Christmas celebration. Our communities all join together to celebrate the beliefs of their brothers and sisters, because, ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN’. Today as you toured the THIS IS BAHRAIN" exhibition booths you may have talked with the Hindu priest who represents Bahrain’s Hindu temple, which is over two hundred years old, you will visited with The American Mission Hospital, a noble project began over a hundred years ago by American missionaries who offered education and medical facilities and which today still faithfully serves our communities. You will have found The Jewish Synagogue and Bhuddist Temple featured alongside our Christian communities including Copts, Anglicans, Protestants, and Catholics who serve the needs of their faithful. In fact at a time when, in our region many are being persecuted for their religious beliefs and places of worship, including churches, are being demolished, we are proud that the Kingdom of Bahrain is building the largest Church ever to be built on the Arabian Peninsula. The ‘Our Lady of Arabia’ Cathedral is being built on land gifted by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and will be situated next to a Mosque, reflecting our multi-faith society. In fact in downtown Manama, our capital city, you will find yourself surrounded by places of worship. The Synagogue, Hindu, Bhuddist and Sikh Temples, Sunni and Shia Mosques and Christian Churches and Cathedrals are bright and beautiful symbols of our Religious Freedom, a precious freedom that is unique to Bahrain in our region. Talking about Freedoms and Rights, I would like to share with you some other aspects of life in Bahrain. We are proud that throughout history, Bahrain has never permitted slavery, and in fact when the British decided to abolish slavery they used Bahrain as a base to oversee the colonies complied with abolition and set their slaves free. In Bahrain we do not have racial discrimination, all ethnicities regardless of their origins and beliefs are equals in our eyes. The Kingdom of Bahrain has always offered a home to those in need and continues to do so today. The government of Bahrain offers free housing to her citizens. Since His Majesty The King came to power, he has fast tracked the building of five new towns to keep abreast of our growing population. Currently the Ministry of Housing is overseeing the design and build of the latest contemporary social housing solutions in collaboration with HRH Prince Charles Trust. Earlier today one of our guests asked me how many homeless we had in Bahrain, ladies and gentlemen the answer to that question is ZERO. No one is homeless in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Bahrain is a true Welfare State providing for the needs of her people from cradle to grave, with zero income tax. Orphans, widows, the disabled and needy families are all taken care of by the State. Health care is world class, state of the art and is FREE to all citizens. We expatriates also receive FREE healthcare, without paying any taxes. The Kingdom of Bahrain was the first Gulf State to pioneer education and opened the regions first school in 1919 and today Government schools provide free primary and secondary education to all citizens and expatriates. Education is compulsory meaning our children’s Right to Education is protected by law. University students pay only 6% of their Tuition Fees and the government pays the balance and offers International and National Scholarships to Honours Students right up to PHD level. Did I mention our rate of income tax is zero? Women’s Rights in Bahrain are excellent, as they enjoy equal rights by law. His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa also brought about the new Family Law to afford even better protections for vulnerable women and children. Women in Bahrain have reached the highest positions in the land on merit and not by quotas. Our previous Ambassador to Washington was a Jewish Bahraini woman, and our previous Ambassador in London was a Bahraini Christian woman, and our newly appointed Ambassador to Brussels is a Shia Muslim Bahraini woman. Bahraini women have been appointed as Cabinet Ministers and are CEO’s of successful multi-national companies, with five of them being featured in Forbes latest List of Powerful Women. The percentage of Bahraini women who receive ‘equal pay’ as their male counterparts is 100% and is guaranteed by law. Maternity Leave puts Bahrain in the top ten of countries worldwide with 60 days on full pay, an additional six months without pay, with a guaranteed return to her job, and two hours a day of paid leave to breastfeed once she resumes her employment. Our Labour Laws are second to none providing clear and easily enforceable protection for the employee. The Kingdom of Bahrain was the first regionally to abolish the traditional ‘sponsorship’ system affording total freedom of movement for labour. Bahrain Labour Laws decree all employees are entitled to 30 days annual paid leave plus a further 15 days each year of paid Public Holidays with other generous paid leave for illness, bereavement and family problems. This again places Bahrain high in world rankings even when compared to highly developed countries. Political development continues unabated since His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s first action when he acceded the throne, was to launch democratic process. for his people. In 2001 His Majesty The King held a Referendum asking his people if they wanted democracy and 98.4 % of voters said a resounding ‘YES". For the first time Bahrain had political parties and elections were held to realise His Majesty The King’s dream of a Democratic March. Today Bahrain has been praised by International observers for the transparency, fairness and efficiency of her last elections held in 2014. Of the elected 40 Members of parliament, 35 members are Independents and three of them are Bahrain women who are all Shia Muslims providing citizens with a truly diverse representation in Parliament and ensuring all voices are heard. Expatriates can also vote in municipal elections. In the United States of America your motto is " No Taxation without Representation" in Bahrain our motto is " Representation and NO Taxation"! Although Bahrain is a fledgling democracy, we believe her achievements over the last 14 years have been laudable when compared to countries that have hundreds of years of democratic development. However, the definition of democracy is often misunderstood and not everyone understands that with Rights come Responsibilities or that disagreeing with a law does not give you the right to break it and that Freedom of Expression is not the Freedom to Insult or to incite violence, hatred or sedition. Bahrain shares the same belief as your great nation, - that the rule of law is sacrosanct and must remain so. 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. 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. Bahrainis have grown up for centuries living next door to Jewish, Christian, Hindu, and Sikh neighbours, being exposed to all cultures, all nationalities and all beliefs and this created the peaceful–co-existence that is the normal way of life for Bahrainis. In Bahrain, 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. We believe that education is the nourishment for peace and so we feel it is our duty to share with the world the humble Bahrain Model of peaceful co-existence and let us use it as a powerful tool to combat terrorism and replace it instead with understanding, mutual respect, peace and love. And so today our journey has brought ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN’ to Washington DC and our message to you is simple. It is a message of Peace and Love from the Kingdom of Bahrain to the people of the United States of America. So, we invite you to let us join hands and hearts and walk together on the path of global peace, let us walk as friends with a common purpose, bound together with love and mutual respect. Dear friends ..’THIS IS BAHRAIN". President of the Bahrain Business and Professional Women International Club Shaikha Hind bint Salman Al-Khalifa described the Kingdom of Bahrain as incubator for all businesswomen and one of the most attractive business-friendly countries in the Middle East. Industry and Commerce Minister former Undersecretary Dr. Abdulla Mansour highlighted interfaith, sectarian and ethnic tolerance which has long marked successive generations in Bahrain. US – Bahrain Business Council representative Jennifer Miel also spoke at the conference, stressing solid economic relations bonding the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States of America, especially after the signing of the of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) ten years ago. Bahrain, he said, has one of the most pioneering economic model in the region, opting for open trade policy with all countries in the world. Foreign Ministry former undersecretary Karim Al-Shaker highlight Bahrainis’ tolerant mettle, saying that the Hindu temple is near to the house where he was born and brought up while the church stands close to his school. He also pointed out the cooperation of the visitors of the Jewish synagogue, stressing the importance of all these facets which characterize Bahrain and promote its diversity.