Bahrain’s stance to promote inter-religious dialogue praised

By Nayla Barakat Manama, June 3 (BNA): Bahrain’s stance and commitment to promote freedom of religion and belief has been commended by the Adviser for Religious Affairs at the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. Jean-Christophe Peaucelle applauded Bahrain’s ongoing commitment to enhance inter-religious dialogue, saying it is significant to build a common society. “I want to commend this fact about the Kingdom of Bahrain that it’s committed to enhance the freedom of religion or belief and to promote inter religious dialogue, which is very important in our multi religious and multicultural societies," Peaucelle told Bahrain News Agency on the sideline of the EU-Bahrain Conference 'Broadening the Tent: Freedom of Religion and Belief.' “If we don't practice in courageous respect this inter-religious dialogue will be unable to build a common society. And it will be, first, a failure and secondly, a danger for our societies.” The subject of the conference on religious freedom and belief dialogue is very important anytime anywhere in the world because freedom of religion or belief is one of the most fundamental human rights, he added. “Everybody in the world says that they respect freedom of religion or belief, but in practice it is far from this. And we know that there are many violations and sometimes countries and people do not even realize that there are violations of this freedom. So, it's very important anywhere, anytime, to put it on the agenda of the international community.” Speaking about his participation in the conference, he said that he was invited by the organisers of the event, both Bahrain through King Hamad Centre Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence, and the EU delegation. “As a keynote speaker, I discussed the French situation and tried to get some clarification about the French concept of Laicite’, (French form of secularism) which sometimes is not very well understood outside of France,” he said. He said he had expected the three-day conference would be the reaffirmation that freedom is a fundamental right, and that every country and society should be careful because it's not something which is granted forever.” “And I'm always a little bit skeptical when I hear that everything is perfect - because it's not true. Each country should examine its own situation, what could be made better?"