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Join Date: 05 Mar 2015
Location:  BahrainPosts: 49 |
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Multi-faith meeting is held at church |
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Multi-faith meeting is held at church
Manama: A Multi-faith prayer for peace was held last night at the Sacred Heart Church in Manama. The event, under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad, is part of the This is Bahrain programmes to promote tolerance and understanding while denouncing terrorism. Present at last night’s event were His Majesty’s Personal Representative Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, community figures and religious leaders from Paris, where a roadshow about Bahrain was held last month. This is Bahrain has travelled the world to showcase Bahrain’s religious tolerance and it is set to become its own society breaking away from the Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations (BFEA). “None of us would be able to gather here without the precious gift of our absolute right to religious freedom, granted to us by His Majesty,†said BFEA secretary-general Betsy B Mathieson. “I am from Scotland and I was born and brought up as a Christian. I have lived in Bahrain for 35 years and I converted to Islam a few years after arriving to work in Bahrain in 1980. “I learned so much from my Bahraini brothers and sisters, and the simplicity and serenity of how they lived their everyday lives.†Ms Mathieson slammed the “twisted†version of Islam that was being portrayed by the Islamic State (IS) and other terror groups. “Islam is not a vindictive, barbaric faith that wants to drag us all back to medieval times and remove our rights and freedoms, it does not refuse women their rights and does not condone violence or murder or waging war on innocent people,†she said. “Islam is not the poisonous ideology that terror groups use to brainwash our vulnerable young people into carrying out atrocities beyond belief and it is not IS. “By planting those seeds of peace and love within our young people we give them hope for a brighter future and steer them away from the path of violent extremism and acts of terror.†She also condemned the deadly terror attacks in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, France and Tunisia. French Union des Peuples pour la Paix (French Union for Peace between People) president Shaikh Hassen Chalgoumi said churches were being destroyed in Syria and Iraq, while in Bahrain worship places for all religions were being built securely and safely. “Extremism is increasing in Europe, but here in Bahrain we see a unified society that understands and loves the other regardless of their differences,†he said. “People are speaking about civil war, while they are disregarding Bahrain as a leader in promoting brotherhood symbols that have made its community a unique example of unity and coherence.†Catholic Church’s Vicariate of Northern Arabia Bishop Camillo Ballin praised the country’s commitment to peace. “Our presence in Bahrain makes us feel safe, secure and love,†he said. A prayer was also performed for those killed by terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Tunisia and France. Source:gdnonline http://www.gdnonline.com/Details/12000/Multi-faith-meeting-is-held-at-church |
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