Bahrain’s experience of promoting peaceful coexistence highlighted
RECOGNISING the unity of human origin and respect for differences are among the key objectives of a top conference to promote peaceful coexistence, it was declared.
This came as a two-day conference, organised by the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence under the theme ‘Ignorance is the Enemy of Peace’, got underway at the Isa Cultural Centre in Manama yesterday.
His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, inaugurated the forum in the presence of global dignitaries, diplomats and religious scholars.
“The conference stems from the centre’s constant keenness to highlight the pioneering Bahraini experience in promoting the values of coexistence and tolerance and its reflection on the education system in the kingdom,” said centre’s board of trustees chairman Dr Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.
“Among the objectives of the conference is to come up with visions based on the recognition of the unity of human origin and respect for human differences such as thought, belief, doctrine and race.
“The belief that there is no harm in coexisting in peace and harmony with those differences is critical along with a reliance on the principles of respect for humanity, religious freedoms and familiar between nations through studying various civilisations, cultures and customs across the globe.”
Curricula
Dr Shaikh Khalid emphasised the need for incorporating noble human values – such as religious tolerance, peaceful coexistence and acceptance of differences – into higher education institutions and university curricula across the world.
Among the key recommendations was the need to allocate free seats for the region’s youth in the King Hamad Chair for Inter-Faith Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence programme at the Sapienza University in Rome.
“There is a necessity of establishing study and training centres as well as research institutions concerned with promoting the concepts of peaceful coexistence and religious tolerance among young people,” said a statement later.
“It is critical to support the co-operation of heads of global education institutions and representatives of religions to ensure the achievement of the supreme goal of noble human values in spreading peace, harmony, security, and stability among countries, people and societies of the world.
“There was also a recommendation to allocate courses on tolerance and peaceful coexistence in university and institutions, taking advantage of Bahrain’s Declaration of Coexistence and the pioneering Bahraini model in consolidating the bonds of religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue.”
