Manama, Nov. 4 (BNA): His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa today patronized the closing ceremony of the Bahrain Dialogue Forum: East and West for Human Coexistence” in its first session held at the Memorial Square.
The ceremony was attended by His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb, Sheikh of Al Azhar Al Sharif and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, senior officials, lead participants in the forum and guests.
Two helicopters from the Royal Bahraini Air Force flew the flags of Bahrain and the Vatican.
His Majesty the King, His Holiness the Pope and His Eminence the Sheikh of Al Azhar watered a date palm.
In his address to the forum, HM the King said:
“In the name of Allah the Most Gracious and Merciful
Praise be to Allah and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammed, his family and his companions.
His Holiness Pope Francis,
His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb,
People of virtue, scholars and representatives of religions
Distinguished guests,
May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you,
It is with continued pride that we once again welcome, His Holiness Pope Francis, and His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb, who have worked to enrich this forum and make it a successful event. We are thankful and appreciative of their efforts, and ask God Almighty to help them in the performance of their significant duties.
We also warmly welcome our distinguished guests, and it is a pleasure to meet with you on this blessed day, on the occasion of the Bahrain Dialogue Forum in the interest of humanity.
We consider it an historic day of a landmark event, the noble objectives of which act in accordance with what our country seeks for the good and advancement of mankind, so that every human being may enjoy a dignified and fulfilling life in a more stable and secure world.
We are pleased to express to all our great pleasure in the patronage of this important global gathering, based on our belief in the influential role of religious leaders, intellectuals and experts in resolving the various challenges and crises faced by our societies for greater peace and stability.
At the conclusion of this blessed forum, it is with pleasure that we congratulate you on the success of its work, with the presence and participation of this leading group of learned scholars from the East and West who have devoted themselves to serve humanity and work for its advancement, and who have united in word and deed to uphold the values of peace and mutual understanding, and to cooperate on righteousness and piety to strengthen fraternity and peaceful coexistence among all the peoples of the earth.
Our distinguished guests,
We have all followed with interest the discussions and deliberations of this forum, and we look on its valuable outcomes and recommendations with optimism and great hope.
It is a welcome strengthening of the path of human fraternity, which more than ever is in need of a renewal of the means of rapprochement and understanding among all people of religions and beliefs as a fundamental starting point to replace disagreement with consensus, and establish unity in place of division.
As we proceed together, hand in hand, in realising the hope of a prosperous future, we must all come to a consensus on ending the Russian-Ukrainian war and starting serious negotiations for the good of all humanity.
In light of the important outcomes that you have reached, which we strongly support, we reassure you that we will devote – God willing – our utmost care and attention to them, so that they may take the right course within our endeavours to contribute to the spread of peace, and the consolidation of the values of tolerance and coexistence among our nations and peoples.
In conclusion, we express our sincere appreciation to the distinguished participants for their commendable and valued efforts in the performance of their noble tasks.
We also thank the organisers who have made the necessary preparations for this forum, asking God Almighty to bestow success and blessings on those who remain steadfast on the path of affection and harmony, and who promote the truth and patience for the good of humanity.
May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.”
HE the Sheikh of Al Azhar said in his speech:
“In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
All praise is due to Allah. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon our Master, Prophet Muhammad, his Companions and his family
Your Majesty King Hamad bin Isa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, may God safeguard you, Dear brother Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church,
Ladies and gentlemen,
May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon you all!
I would like to start my remarks by expressing my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Your Majesty King Hamad and your honourable people, the people of the Kingdom of Bahrain, for inviting me to participate in this big, distinguished forum entitled ‘East and West for Human Coexistence’.
It is such an historic forum for it brings together highly respected scholars, wise leaders, intellectuals, politicians, and media figures from the East and the West. Therefore, it deserves to go down in history and have its remarks and recommendations proudly recorded in gold letters, because it comes as a timely response to the modern-day challenges that have manifested themselves across the boundaries of time and place.
For place-related considerations, the forum is being hosted in the Kingdom of Bahrain, whose history is proudly defined by its noble people who have always cherished diversity and acceptance of the other, no matter the differences in race, belief, thought or culture.
This time-honoured legacy has provided the people of Bahrain with a distinctive ability to accommodate civilisations and cultures in a spirit of dialogue and encounter. They have transformed the best aspects of these civilisations into a source of creative energy that fosters societal stability and constructive social development.
As for the timing that makes this gathering and its likes a necessity and a lifeline, the cruelty of our world against humanity has grown even worse with the violation of man’s most basic rights to the minimum security for his life and the preservation of his innate human nature that God has bestowed upon him.
Indeed, man’s feelings have become utterly confused as result of tampering with his awareness and conscience and distracting him by satisfying his instincts, rather than fulfilling the demands of his soul, feelings and conscience.
Indeed, the latter demands are no less important than the demands of the body. Fulfilling such spiritual needs is more crucial and even indispensable for they are the key to achieving inner balance, stability and peace of mind for everyone, no matter how they have been brought up or where and when they live.
Distinguished audience,
I do not think we need to repeat the talk about the conflict that humanity is experiencing today, either in the East or the West, nor to search for the causes of such conflict, its tragedies or its bitter repercussions that plague twenty-first century man.
As you all know too well, it is all about wars, bloodshed, destruction, turmoil, orphaned infants, widowhood, poverty, bereavement, immigration, displacement, and the fear of an unknown future where uncertainty and constant worrying prevail.
As such the picture has become too gloomy to think that there is any hope but, once we start to contemplate the reason behind all such tragedies, we soon realise that it is ‘the absence of justice’.
It is the law that God has created for ensuring the stability of society and maintaining the balance that is lacking in man’s life, i.e. between his body and soul. When such a Divine law is not observed, the order of the entire world and nature is disturbed.
This is apart from those who have fallen victim to market-based economic policies, such as the greed that generates an excessive desire to own and consume, the trade in heavy and lethal arms, and arms exports to the Third World countries.
Let us not forget what it requires to make the arms business flourish, fuelling sectarian and racial strife and provoking sedition and conflict, which results in the instability of once safe and secure nations.
In fact, the accounts of our pains and sufferings are so many that one can easily give in to pessimism, disappointment, and a lack of hope for a world where peace and coexistence should prevail; a world where cooperation and goodwill should be the most prominent features; a world where war should be an exception. How can such a hope be fulfilled on our planet where only one per cent of the population possesses half the world’s wealth, with only 100 people possessing more wealth than 4 billion of their fellow human beings?
What makes it even worse is the fact that these tragedies and calamities are supported by philosophical theories that have become a reality in Western society, absorbed by Western consciousness. These theories have controlled the perceptions of politicians and affected their decisions about their relations with developing and poor peoples.
Obvious examples of such theories include ‘The Clash of Civilisations’, ‘The End of History’ and ‘Globalisation’.
All these colonialist and imperialist theories are paving the way for a new world system that controls peoples and nations. Just a few days ago, we heard a statement from a top European official, who described Europe as an idyllic ‘garden’ of prosperity and the rest of the world as basically a ‘jungle’.
Such irresponsible statements only show a gross ignorance of the civilisations of the East and their history, which goes back more than five thousand years, not just three or four hundred years.
The majority of the fears of Easterners today about the West are equally shared by distinguished, elite Western thinkers, rulers and prominent leaders. Some realise that Western policy has become ineffective in dealing with international crises. This is because displays of military might are a threat to genuine politics.
I advocate for replacing politics with culture in the sphere of international relations. The latter has the capacity for human understanding and encompassing its different aspects, whether physical, spiritual, intellectual or emotional.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I must stress that I am not being unduly pessimistic; nor have I given up hope that relations between the West and East may soon be restored, with the establishment of integration and mutual cooperation, as boundaries are dissolved and unity is achieved, where isolation between the West and East over the past century ends, as both rely on the other for a new relationship, based on cooperation, stability and security, with a just peace for all.
Perhaps it might be accurate to say that the West needs the wisdom of the East, its religions and the moral values its people have been reared on, as well as their balanced view on man, the universe and our Creator.
It needs the spirituality of the East and its deep meditation on reality, so that it is no longer blinded by putting the ephemeral before the eternal. It is true that ‘all that glitters is not gold’, as the old adage goes. The West needs Eastern markets and its workforce for its factories in Africa, Asia and other places.
It also needs the raw materials found deep within these two continents, without which the West cannot produce anything. It is neither fair nor just to reward benevolence with poverty, ignorance and disease.
And the same may be said about the East, as it needs to adopt Western technology and use it for its technological and economic development, as well as importing industrial, medical, defence and other products from Western markets. Easterners need a new outlook on the West, full of fairness and charity.
They also need a tolerant understanding of the civil ways of the West and Western customs, interpreting them through the lens of special circumstances, developments and responses for which the West has paid dearly over many centuries.
Muslim scholars should continue highlighting what Islam encapsulates in terms of lofty ideals, human fraternity and cooperation, and other common points both West and East agree on and welcome.
Furthermore, they should be diligent in introducing Westerners to the true Islam.
Many Muslims have emigrated and settled in the West, becoming an inseparable component of its social fabric. Many aspects of Western life have been transferred to Easterners, dominating their traditions, customs and modern conduct. It has influenced a significant portion of their thoughts and perspectives — even educational curricula and their way of thinking.
And there is much more, paving the way or rather leading to a new relationship with balanced civilisations maintaining their respective cultures, features and differences, without any cultural dominance or conformity through war and the systematic destruction inherent in the clash of civilisations.
This has been echoed by modern thinker Tzvetan Todorov in The Fear of Barbarians. He states in his book: “Western culture should not be depicted as the only civilised society and as the standard for judging other cultures. All interference with other cultures is a misuse of power. Freedom and equality cannot be instituted through force, else we may become indistinguishable from those we call ‘barbarians’.”
Dear attendees,
There exists today an Eastern Islamic theory which replaces the theory of the ‘Clash of Civilisations’, known as ‘Civilisational Acquaintance’, which has attracted the interest of distinguished thinkers and scholars in recent times.
It was introduced as a response to the theory of the ‘Clash of Civilisations’, promoting openness towards the other side and Acquaintance of each side with the other under the framework of cooperation and mutual benefit, so that God’s purpose may be achieved, which is populating the Earth, achieving prosperity and the avoidance of corruption in all its forms.
This theory is based on the word “Ta‘aaruf” (Acquaintance) as found in the Qur’an as a clarification for valid global relations between nations and peoples. It is based on three fundamental Qur’anic principles:
First: The Qur’an establishes a concrete fact, known to all, that Allah has made people different in race, colour, language, religion and other characteristics. They shall remain dissimilar in these aspects until the end of time. God Almighty says: “And if your Lord had willed, He could have made humankind one community; but they will not cease to differ.” (The Qur’an, 11:118)
Second: The Qur’an further establishes, based on the first principle, that man was created free and able to choose belief, religion, ideology and doctrine. This fact draws on the foregoing principle because if it is natural for people to differ in belief, it follows that they must be free to choose any faith. God says: “There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong.” (The Qur’an, 2:256) God also tells His Prophet: “Then, [O Muhammad], would you compel the people in order that they become believers?” (The Qur’an, 10:99)
Third: Knowing that the Qur’an establishes the previous two principles, that people are different and that they possess freedom of belief, what is the relation between people according to the philosophy of the Qur’an? The only way for this relationship to work is through acquaintance, which is the way Allah has set for interactions and relations between people.
This is clearly stated in the Qur’an — “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” (The Qur’an, 49:13)
The third principle, derived logically from the previous two, can be formulated as the rule: The relationship between people stated in the Qur’an is one of peace and acquaintance.
Thus, the Qur’anic rules governing human relations are enumerated logically with no room for reinterpretation or distortion. Natural differences necessitate freedom of belief, which in turn entails a peaceful relationship among peoples.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I hope you are not getting bored of the persistent affirmations that Islam is a religion of peace and equality. What is said and promoted every now and then about the institution of war in Islam against infidels is untrue and indeed outright lies about Islam and the life of its Prophet, even if such are purported by some followers of the same religion, a religion which is based on proof and evidence, not ambiguity and lies.
A final note:
I commend and praise the title of this important forum for dialogue between East and West and its significance for human coexistence.
However, I recognise the difficult conditions facing our modern world and the threats to human existence and nations’ stability.
Because of my recognition and appreciation, as a human being, due to the severity of these complex crises, I call first on religious scholars and thinkers to put more effort into the education of youth about such indisputable facts about religious commonalities.
They should be adapted into modern academic programmes for teaching and convincing young people that there is room in life in the eyes of religious philosophy for those of different faiths, races, colour and languages, and that cultural diversity enriches civilisation and establishes the peace that is lacking.
I furthermore call on my brothers, Muslim scholars, across the world of every doctrine, sect and school of thought to hold an Islamic dialogue, a dialogue around unity, cohesion and reproachment, a dialogue for Islamic fraternity, void of division, discord and, more especially, sectarian strife.
There should be a focus on commonalities and meeting points, with an understanding of differences. Let us together chase away any talk of hate, provocation and excommunication and set aside ancient and modern conflict in all its forms and with all its negative offshoots.
I address, with a loving heart for all, this special call to our Shia Muslim brothers. I reiterate that the senior scholars at Al Azhar and the Muslim Council of Elders and I are ready to host a similar meeting with open hearts and extended hands.
We can sit down together on one roundtable to put aside our differences and strengthen our Islamic unity on positions that are known to be pragmatic and serve the goals of Islam and its law, which prohibits Muslims from giving in to calls for division and fragmentation.
We must beware of falling into the trap of compromising homelands’ stability and exploiting religion to stoke the fires of nationalistic and ideological sentiments, not to mention interference with countries and their sovereignty or stealing their lands.
I have every faith that, if we have goodwill and determination, we can create a civil model showcasing Islam and Muslims in the rightful way this religion deserves, a religion that requires its followers, before others, to treat it fairly.
On this important occasion for hosting dialogue between East and West for the sake of human coexistence, I lend my voice to all those seeking peace and good. I also call for the end of the Russian-Ukrainian war to spare the lives of innocents who have no hand in this violent tragedy.
I call for hoisting the flag of peace, not of victory, and for sitting down for dialogue and negotiation. In fact, I call for an end to all ongoing fighting on Earth or at the least for an extended truce, to rebuild bridges of dialogue, understanding and trust, and to establish peace in a world full of wounds.
The alternative is graver consequences for the people of the East and the West alike.]
Thank you for your attention and may God’s peace and blessings be upon you all.”
HH the Pope delivered the following speech:
” Your Majesty,
Your Royal Highnesses,
Dear Brother, Dr Al-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Dear Brother Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch, Distinguished Religious and Civil Authorities,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I greet you all most cordially and I am grateful for your welcome to this Forum of dialogue organized under the patronage of His Majesty the King of Bahrain.
This country takes its name from its waters: the name Bahrain means “two seas”. It makes us think of the waters of the sea, which bring lands and nations into contact and connect distant peoples. In the words of an ancient proverb, “What the land divides, the sea unites”.
The Earth, seen from above, appears as a vast blue sea that unites different shores. From the heavens, it seems to remind us that we are indeed one family: not islands, but one great archipelago. This is how the Most High wants us to be, and this country, which is an archipelago of over thirty islands, can well symbolize that desire.
Yet we are living at a time when humanity, connected as never before, appears much more divided than united. Here too, the name “Bahrain” can help us to reflect: the “two seas” of which it speaks refer to the fresh waters of its underwater springs and the brackish waters of the Gulf.
Nowadays, in a somewhat similar way, we find ourselves overlooking two seas with very different waters: the calm, freshwater sea of a serene life together, and the salty sea of indifference, marred by clashes and swept by the winds of war, its destructive billows growing ever more tumultuous, threatening to overwhelm us all.
Tragically, East and West increasingly resemble two opposing seas. We, on the other hand, are here together because we all intend to set sail on the same waters, choosing the route of encounter rather than that of confrontation, the path of dialogue indicated by the title of this Forum: “East and West for Human Coexistence”.
After two terrible world wars, a cold war that for decades kept the world in suspense, catastrophic conflicts taking place in every part of the globe, and in the midst of accusations, threats and condemnations, we continue to find ourselves on the brink of a delicate precipice and we do not want to fall.
It is a striking paradox that, while the majority of the world’s population is united in facing the same difficulties, suffering from grave food, ecological and pandemic crises, as well as an increasingly scandalous global injustice, a few potentates are caught up in a resolute struggle for partisan interests, reviving obsolete rhetoric, redesigning spheres of influence and opposing blocs.
We appear to be witnessing a dramatic and childlike scenario: in the garden of humanity, instead of cultivating our surroundings, we are playing instead with fire, missiles and bombs, weapons that bring sorrow and death, covering our common home with ashes and hatred.
Such will be the bitter consequences if we continue to accentuate conflict instead of understanding, if we persist in stubbornly imposing our own models and despotic, imperialist, nationalist and populist visions, if we are unconcerned about the culture of others, if we close our ears to the plea of ordinary people and the voice of the poor, if we continue simplistically to divide people into good and bad, if we make no effort to understand one another and to cooperate for the good of all.
These are the choices before us since, in a globalized world, we only advance by rowing together; if we sail alone, we go adrift.
On the stormy sea of conflicts, let us keep before our eyes the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, which calls for a fruitful encounter between West and East, to help cure their respective maladies.
We are here, as men and women who believe in God and in our brothers and sisters, to reject “isolating thinking”, the approach to reality that overlooks the great sea of humanity by concentrating only on its own narrow currents.
We want the divergences between East and West to be settled for the good of all, without distracting attention from another divergence that is constantly and dramatically increasing: the gap between the North and the South of the world.
The emergence of conflicts should not cause us to lose sight of the less evident tragedies in our human family, such as the catastrophic inequality whereby the majority of people on our planet experience unprecedented injustice, the shameful scourge of hunger and the calamity of climate change, a sign of our lack of care for the common home.
When it comes to such issues, which we have discussed these days, religious leaders must surely commit themselves and set a good example. We have a specific role to play, and this Forum has offered us a further opportunity in this regard.
It is our duty to encourage and assist our human family, interdependent yet at the same time disconnected, to sail the sea together.
I would therefore like to propose three challenges that emerge from the Document on Human Fraternity and from the Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration, on both of which we have reflected in these days. These challenges have to do with prayer, education and action.
First of all, prayer, which touches the human heart. Truth to tell, the tragedies we are enduring, the dangerous divisions we are experiencing, and “the imbalances under which the modern world labours are linked with a more basic imbalance which is rooted in the heart of man” (Gaudium et Spes, 10). That is their ultimate cause.
Consequently, the greatest risk lies not in specific objects, material realities or institutions, but in our human inclination to close ourselves in our own immanence, our own group, our own petty interests.
This is not a failing of our age: it has been present from the beginning of humanity and, with God’s help, it can be overcome.
For this reason, prayer, the opening of our hearts to the Most High, is essential for purifying ourselves of selfishness, closed-mindedness, self-referentiality, falseness and injustice.
Those who pray receive peace of heart; they cannot fail to bear witness to this and to invite others, above all by their example, not to fall prey to a paganism that reduces human beings to what they sell, buy or are entertained by, but instead to rediscover the infinite dignity with which each person is endowed.
The followers of the religions are men and women of peace who, as they journey alongside others on this earth, invite them, with gentleness and respect, to lift their gaze to heaven. They bring to their prayer, like incense that rises to the Most High, the trials and tribulations of all.
For this to be the case, however, there is one essential premise, and that is religious freedom.
The Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration explains that “God instructs us to exercise the divine gift of freedom of choice” and consequently, “compelled religion cannot bring a person into a meaningful relationship with God”.
Any form of religious coercion is unworthy of the Almighty, since he has not handed the world over to slaves, but to free creatures, whom he fully respects.
Let us commit ourselves, then, to ensuring that the freedom of creatures reflects the sovereign freedom of the Creator, that places of worship are always and everywhere protected and respected, and that prayer is favoured and never hindered.
It is not enough to grant permits and recognize freedom of worship; it is necessary to achieve true freedom of religion. Not only every society, but also every creed is called to self-examination in this regard. It is called to question whether it coerces God’s creatures from without, or liberates them from within; whether it helps people to reject rigidity, narrow-mindedness and violence; whether it helps believers to grow in authentic freedom, which is not doing what we want, but directing ourselves to the good for which we were created.
If the challenge of prayer regards the heart, the second challenge, that of education, essentially concerns the mind.
The Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration states that “ignorance is the enemy of peace”. It is true, for where opportunities for education are lacking, extremism increases and forms of fundamentalism take root. Yet if ignorance is the enemy of peace, education is the friend of development, provided that it is an education truly befitting men and women as dynamic and relational beings.
An education that is not rigid and monolithic, but open to challenges and sensitive to cultural changes; not self-referential and isolating, but attentive to the history and culture of others; not stagnant, but inquisitive and open to embracing different and essential aspects of the one human family to which we belong.
In that way, it can enter into the heart of problems without claiming to have easy answers to resolve complex issues, but willing instead to embrace a crisis without seeing it in terms of conflict.
For it is unworthy of the human mind to think that power should prevail over reason, to bring the methods of the past to present-day issues, to apply models based on technology or mere convenience to the history and culture of human beings.
This means that we must raise questions, allow ourselves to be challenged, learn to enter into dialogue patiently, respectfully and with a willingness to listen, to learn the history and culture of others.
That is how to educate human minds: by encouraging mutual understanding. For it is not enough to say we are tolerant: we really have to make room for others, granting them rights and opportunities. This is an approach that begins with education and it is one that the religions are called support.
Concretely, I would emphasize three urgent educational priorities. First, the recognition of women in the public sphere: namely, their right “to education, to employment, [and] their freedom to exercise their social and political rights”.
In this, as in other areas, education is the path to liberation from historical and social legacies opposed to the spirit of fraternal solidarity that ought to mark those who worship God and love their neighbour.
Second, “the protection of the fundamental rights of children”, so that they can grow up, receive schooling, be helped and supported, so as not to live in the grip of hunger and violence.
Let us teach others, and learn ourselves, how to view crises, problems and wars through the eyes of children: this is not a mark of naiveté, but of farsighted wisdom, because only if we are concerned for them will progress be reflected in innocence rather than profit, and lead to the building of a better and more humane future.
Education begins in the heart of the family and continues within a community, village or city.
Third, then, I would stress education for citizenship, for living in community, in respect for one another and for the law. Then too, the particular importance of the “concept of citizenship”, which “is based on the equality of rights and duties”.
Here, commitment is demanded, so that we can “establish in our societies the concept of full citizenship and reject the discriminatory use of the term minorities which engenders feelings of isolation and inferiority. Its misuse paves the way for hostility and discord; it undoes any successes and takes away the religious and civil rights of some citizens who are thus discriminated against”.
And so, we come to the last of our three challenges, that which concerns action, we might say our human abilities.
The Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration states that whenever hatred, violence and discord are preached, God’s name is desecrated.
All who are religious reject these things as utterly unjustifiable. They forcefully reject the blasphemy of war and the use of violence. And they consistently put this rejection into practice.
For it is not enough to proclaim that a religion is peaceful; we need to condemn and isolate the perpetrators of violence who abuse its name.
Nor is it enough to distance ourselves from intolerance and extremism; we need to counter them. “This is why it is so necessary to stop supporting terrorist movements fueled by financing, the provision of weapons and strategy, and by attempts to justify these movements, even using the media.
All these must be regarded as international crimes that threaten security and world peace. Such terrorism must be condemned in all its forms and expressions”
Religious men and women, as people of peace, are likewise opposed to the race to rearmament, to the commerce of war, to the market of death. They do not support “alliances against some”, but means of encounter with all.
Without yielding to forms of relativism or syncretism of any sort, they pursue a single path, which is that of fraternity, dialogue and peace. These are the things they support.
Dear friends,
Let us pursue this path; let us open our hearts to our brothers and sisters; let us press forward on the journey towards greater knowledge and understanding of one another. Let us strengthen the bonds between us, without duplicity or fear, in the name of the Creator who has put us together in this world as guardians of our brothers and sisters.
And if different potentates deal with each other on the basis of interests, money and power plays, may we show that another path of encounter is possible. Possible and necessary, since force, arms and money will never paint a future of peace.
So, let us encounter one another for the sake of humanity and in the name of the One who loves humanity, the One whose name is peace. Let us promote concrete initiatives to ensure that the journey of the great religions will be ever more effective and ongoing, a conscience of peace for our world!
The Creator invites us to act, especially on behalf of all those many creatures of his who do not yet find a sufficient place on the agenda of the powerful: the poor, the unborn, the elderly, the infirm, migrants…
If we who believe in the God of mercy, do not give a hearing to the poor and a voice to the voiceless, who will do it?
Let us take their side; let us make every effort to assist a humanity wounded and sorely tried!
By doing so, we will draw down upon our world the blessing of the Most High. May he enlighten our journey and join our hearts, our minds and our strength, so that our worship of God may be matched by a concrete and fraternal love of our neighbor, so that, together, we may be prophets of community, artisans of unity and builders of peace.”
Source: Bahrain News Agency