HM King receives participants in "This is Bahrain"

Manama, Dec. 7 (BNA): His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received at Sakhir Palace today participants and contributors to "This is Bahrain" function which was organised by the Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations in many European countries and the USA. Representatives from government and religious institutions as well as non-government organisations (NGOs) took part in the function held to highlight Bahrain's civilisational and humanitarian achievements. Addressing the audience, HM the King welcomed the participants whose visit, he said, coincides with Bahrain's festivities marking the National and Accession Days. He praised the values which turned Bahrain into an oasis of peace, freedom and co-existence at a time, he said, the world is in dire need for those values. HM the King stressed that the Bahraini people have always embodied the principles of friendship, tolerance, reciprocal respect and openness on the world. He took pride in the diversity of the Bahraini community, asserting that every individual has the right to enjoy a secure and decent life. He affirmed that those values still represent a source of inspiration and as they are the core of the National Action Charter and the constitution, they will continue constituting a framework for future national achievements. HM King Hamad lauded religious tolerance characterising the Bahraini society, thanking the participants in "This is Bahrain" for their contribution to ensuring a just, prosperous and tolerant community for the posterity. "Undoubtedly, your unrelenting work to transfer the concept of This is Bahrain to the whole world underlines your love for Bahrain and its people," HM the king said, thanking the Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations Secretary General Betsy Mathieson and members for their efforts in this regard. Then, the Secretary General of the Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations gave the following speech: "Your Majesty, Your Royal Highnesses, Your Excellency’s, ladies and gentlemen, it is our honour and privilege for our ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN’ delegates and sponsors to be received here today by Your Majesty. Your Majesty, We are recently returned from our latest ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN" events in Washington DC and New York City and with Your Majesty’s permission, I would like to thank all of our delegates for their hard work and dedication and also thank our sponsors for their loyal and generous support for ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN’ events. A particularly warm vote of thanks to the American Embassy Consulate in Bahrain for their kind assistance in facilitating the smooth and efficient processing of our delegates travel documents and also a word of thanks to all the previous Ambassadors of our host countries for their hard work and support for ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN. Your Majesty, We arrived in Washington DC at a particularly special time for the United States of America. It was at a time that saw Christians, Jews and Muslims joined together to celebrate Yom Kippur, Eid Al Adha and the visit of His Holiness the Pope and as we listened to His Holiness The Pope’s speech in Washington, we realised that His Holiness shares Your Majesty’s vision and beliefs. This joining together of religious faiths in mutual respect and harmony reminded us of Bahrain, because this is our normal way of life in the Kingdom and has been so for centuries. Your Majesty, as ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN’ has travelled the world, we have seen that the rest of the world is finally waking up to what has been the cornerstone of Your Majesty’s unshakeable visionary leadership since Your Majesty’s accession, namely, that Religious Freedom is the most powerful tool in providing a strong foundation for a multi-faith, multicultural society that lives harmoniously in the spirit of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect and love and that is what bonds us together, Bahrainis and Expatriates, which in turn, fosters a fully inclusive society, where no one is homeless, where the vulnerable are provided for and where discrimination does not exist. Your Majesty, "THIS IS BAHRAIN’. In short, Your Majesty, it is clear that many other world leaders now see the wisdom of Your Majesty’s vision and are now actively implementing these same goals and objectives in their countries. From British Prime Minister David Cameron, to President Barak Obama to President Francoise Holland of France, they are all now focusing on the vital importance of interfaith dialogue, religious freedom, and eradicating the ignorance that breeds fear and that can all too easily lead to the gateway of evil that can take our vulnerable young people down the path to extremism, radicalisation and terrorism. During our events when we showcase the achievements of Bahrain, and our Religious Freedom we have found certain media and activists commenting on Human Rights in Bahrain based on what they have heard from others. Why then when it comes to Human Rights is Bahrain always in the firing line? What about other countries within this region? What about other countries to the far east of the Kingdom of Bahrain? My question Your Majesty, is why are they continually hitting at Bahrain and ignoring the blatant Human Rights abuses and shortcomings of other countries? The reason is simple, it’s because of the Reforms that Your Majesty initiated and delivered to your people since the very first day of Your Majesty’s Accession. With reference to certain members of the European Parliament, Officials in Geneva and at the United Nations, my request to them is, that instead of repeatedly being so negative about Bahrain why don’t they shift their focus and knock on the doors of others and ask about their Human Rights? Why is it always Bahrain? Your Majesty we have created a comparison using irrefutable facts and figures, between Bahrain and other countries and we share this with our guests when ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN’ travels. Following on from this Your Majesty, we have invited them to Bahrain to see for themselves, with their own eyes, make their own comparisons and draw their own conclusions about The Kingdom of Bahrain. Despite the fact that Bahrain continues to rank higher than some so called highly-developed first- world countries in the World Ranking Tables in areas such as Women’s Equality, Religious Freedom, Quality of Lifestyle, Safety & Security, Economic Stability, Healthcare, Housing, Education, Labour Rights, Maternity Leave and Rights of the Child, there are those who continue to lie and refuse to acknowledge the truth. That is why ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN’ events are so very successful because all we do is simply ‘tell the truth’ and back it up with verifiable facts and figures. Your Majesty I would like to bring my speech to a close with one thing we can all be assured of: Your Majesty, there is no fear about The Kingdom of Bahrain and it’s future under Your Majesty’s Leadership, with the support of His Royal Highness, The Prime Minister, Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness, The Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister, Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, because when we Bahrainis and Expatriates travel abroad to showcase the achievements of Your Majesty’s Ministries, we see and feel the differences in our lifestyles, Rights and Personal Freedoms and our most precious Religious Freedom, all of which are unique to Bahrain in this region and beyond. So Your Majesty, we have no fear for our future because we KNOW ‘Bahrain is in good hands", alhumdullilah. Your Majesty we have been approached by societies in both the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates who want to join us on this unique experience of ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN’. We are also delighted that several Countries have been in touch with us to express their desire to host ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN" in their countries and we are proud to inform Your Majesty that one of these invitations comes from the President of Tunisia . As you are aware Your Majesty, Tunisia's National Dialogue Quartet has recently been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our Tunisian brothers and sisters. Finally, Your Majesty, if I were to summarise what we have been doing during our ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN’ events, I would be inspired to say " Venimus, Communis, Didicimus" .’We Came, We Shared, We Learned’. This is the true essence of "THIS IS BAHRAIN and Your Majesty I use Latin with good reason as it gives me great pleasure to announce that our next exciting International destination will be the beautiful historic city of Roma in Italy. Your Majesty we are now focused on Friday December 11th 2015 and "THIS IS BAHRAIN’ in BAHRAIN, under Your Majesty’s Royal Patronage and in celebration of our glorious National Day. We are sure this will be a momentous occasion with an unparalleled and unbridled showing of love and devotion, from Bahrainis and Expatriates together, for Your Majesty, the Leadership and our Home, the blessed Kingdom of Bahrain. Your Majesty, I sincerely ask your forgiveness for taking so much time to express my feelings, feelings that I know are shared by many others, but I felt compelled to give these points the imortance they so surely deserve. Thank You, Your Majesty." After that, French Ambassador to Bahrain Bernard Régnauld- Fabre gave the following speech: "Your Majesty, I would like to thank you for the honor that has been conferred on me by giving me the opportunity to speak to you and to the prestigious assembly held here today in my mother tongue, French. I suppose that this privilege should not be granted frequently, so I will use this opportunity to ensure that the message of French-Bahraini friendship resonates across my speech today. Your Majesty, A few months ago already, over 100 delegates from Bahrain but also from other countries congregated in Paris in June within the context of a new edition of the ‘This is Bahrain’, ‘Voici Bahreïn’ movement. Among the group members were several religious figures emanating from the Muslim, Sunni, Shia, Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Bahai faiths, but also business men and women, elected officials representing a wide spectrum of Bahraini society, and journalists. They brought with them to Paris the testimony of the existence of development in Bahrain, an open and tolerant multi-religious society, respectful of the religious affiliations of each. This message was particularly well received by many of the French officials who received the delegation. This message was especially important to be heard today, as your country, your Majesty is the proof that building a society based on mutual respect is possible in the Arab world, in this day and time where the Middle East gives many examples of the contrary as the proponents of a radicalized version of Islam seek to impose by means of violence, their terrible model for a society. The creation at your initiative of "This is Bahrain", Your Majesty, comes at a crucial moment in a way of preventing radicals from obtaining a monopoly on communication. On November 13th, terrorists, trained and sent by Daesh, killed 130 people and injured 200 more in Paris. The entire world, horrified, showed its solidarity with France, Bahrain among the first to show its concern. This support is essential as it is together that we must respond. France will aptly defend its values , its societal model, and its political system in spite of such attacks. Bahrain and France share a common view on this matter and are working together as part of the same coalition to fight against the Islamic State and prevent it from dictating its barbaric laws. This goal will not change and we are employing all our efforts to achieve it. I have not forgotten the gesture that your Majesty had made towards my country at the time of the deadly attacks on Charlie Hebdo and on a Jewish Supermarket, on the 7th of January 2015, as you were represented by His Highness Sheikh Abdallah Ben Hamad, as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Khaled Bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, during the Republican Walk which brought together world leaders and figures in Paris. In the wake of this attack, the French Interior Minister engaged in, with numerous partners, an in-depth reflection on the subject of Islam in France. A reflection with which the Imam Hassan Chalghoumi is very familiar) which addresses amongst other points the training of religious executives, in order to, as stated by the French Prime minister Manuel Valls "to set in motion Islam in France and to brilliantly demonstrate the compatibility of Islam with Democracy". I would like to take the opportunity that is given to me by addressing you, Your Majesty, to tell you how proud I am of the quality of the multifaceted relations between Bahrain and France. Since just a little over a year ago that I took office in Manama, you have met the French President François Hollande at the Elysée Palace on two occasions. Your latest visit took place on September 8 and, given the number of Ministers who accompanied you, I got the impression that half the Bahraini government had stayed in Paris for a week! During your visit in Paris, Your Majesty, four agreements (memorandum of understanding), of which one concerns your request for expertise in urban planning, for which the technical details should be finalized soon, have been signed. On November 20th, the second session the Bilateral High Committee took place in Paris, which helped clarify the areas of cooperation for the upcoming two years. On the French side, the Minister of Defense, Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian, whom you received, has made two trips to Bahrain as well as the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Pierre de Villiers. Our exchanges and cooperation cover numerous fields. In the education sector, French universities are ready to best assist Bahrain. The Minister of Education Mr. Al Nuaimi presented his project to create a new University last August during his most recent trip to France. The French Chamber of Commerce in Bahrain, created this year, will give an additional impetus to our trade. Your Majesty, finally, French companies plan to attend the Air Show in January 2016 held in Bahrain in large numbers. Your Majesty, since you have done me the honor of inviting me to speak French, let me thank you for your action in favor of the teaching of the French language in Bahrain. Under your reign, Bahrain became the first country in the Gulf Cooperation Council to have generalized the teaching of French in the public as well as private school systems. You now have over 130 teachers of French and I am in contact with the competent authorities in Manama to strengthen the training of teachers and, if possible, restore a degree qualification system. Strengthening this trilingualism, which is, I think, a future perspective for the Arab world, from Morocco to Oman, is also the mission of the French School of Bahrain (the school head is here with several members of the French Embassy) which welcomes 600 students including about a hundred young Bahrainis. Your Majesty, thank you for your extreme courtesy for having given us the opportunity to the team of the Embassy of France and the French school children to celebrate the friendship between our two countries."