HM King laid foundations for interfaith dialogue, coexistence: Arab Parliament Speaker

Rome, Nov. 18 (BNA): Speaker of the Arab Parliament, Adel bin Abdulrahman Al-Asoomi, has affirmed that His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has laid the foundations for a pioneering international experience to be emulated in promoting dialogue among religions, peaceful coexistence values and the culture of tolerance among the followers of various cultures and religions. This is evident in HM the King’s launch of the Kingdom of Bahrain Declaration, calling for religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence, which has become an international document for ensuring religious freedoms for all, in addition to the establishment of the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Coexistence, he said. Al-Asoomi made the statements while participating as a special guest in the 43rd meeting of the Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), held at the headquarters of the Italian Senate from November 18 to 20. The Arab Parliament Speaker delivered a speech in which he tackled the security challenges to the Arab world and the Mediterranean region, foremost of which is the fight against terrorism and extremist ideology, stressing that promoting interfaith dialogue and consolidating a culture of coexistence are the best means to combat the extremist ideology, which is an approach that represents the core of many successful experiences in the field of combating terrorism, including the Bahraini one. He also referred to the “Call for the Sahel” which he had officially launched during the first Global Parliamentary Summit on Countering Terrorism, held in Vienna in September. The initiative aimed to adopt a comprehensive regional approach and mobilise regional and international efforts to combat terrorism in the African Sahel, as it is a region that has become a hotbed for the most dangerous terrorist organisations around the world. Al-Soumi stressed that confronting terrorism should focus on the intellectual, developmental and educational dimensions, and not the security one only.