HM King receives Grand Mufti, Talgat Tajuddin

Manama, Dec. 11 (BNA): His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received, in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, at the Al-Sakhir Palace today, the Grand Mufti and Chairman of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia, Talgat Tajuddin, alongside his son, currently on a visit to the kingdom. Talgat Tajuddin conveyed to HM the King greetings and appreciation from Russian President, Vladimir Putin, as well as his wishes of further progress and prosperity to Bahrain and its people. HM King Hamad requested the Grand Mufti to convey his greetings to President Putin, in addition to his wishes of more progress and prosperity to Russia and its friendly people. HM King Hamad welcomed the Grand Mufti’s visit to the kingdom, and stressed the depth of the relations between Bahrain and Russia, hailing the advanced level reached by bilateral cooperation at all levels, especially regarding civilisational rapprochement and cultural exchange. HM the King lauded the Russian President’s role and good efforts to strengthen the distinguished long-standing relations between the two countries. HM King Hamad valued highly the efforts exerted by Grand Mufti, Talgat Tajuddin, to promote the values of co-existence, dialogue and moderation, as well as disseminate the authentic Islamic concepts that reflect the true image of Islam that calls for love, tolerance and rejection of terrorism and extremism in all their forms. HM the King praised the ongoing cooperation between Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and Islamic institutions in Russia for the best interests of the two sides. HM King Hamad expressed pride in the great freedom enjoyed by Bahrain regarding the exercise of religious rituals, affirming that throughout its history, the kingdom has been a global role model for fraternity, co-existence and tolerance among all religions and sects, as part of constant endeavours to strengthen the culture of rapprochement among cultures and civilisations. The Grand Mufti expressed thanks and appreciation to HM King Hamad for the warm welcome and hospitality accorded to him during his visit to the kingdom, praising HM the King’s pivotal role in serving the issues of Islam and Muslims, and caring for the Holy Quran, through encouraging its memorisation and promoting its sciences. He lauded HM King Hamad’s important initiatives aimed at spreading the principles of tolerance and moderation, renouncing intolerance and promoting peace and peaceful co-existence. He hailed the atmosphere of tolerance, love and the one family spirit enjoyed by Bahrain, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. He presented HM the King with a book issued by the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia, in addition to a historical sword dating back to the ancient civilisation in Russia.