King receives participants in "This Is Bahrain" events in Rome

Manama, Nov. 30 (BNA): His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received, at the Al-Sakhir Palace today, the organisers and participants in the "This Is Bahrain" events which were held recently in Italy. The events were organised by the Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations (BFEA), with the participation of various government departments, religious institutions and NGOs. The participants greeted HM the King and briefed him on the impressive success of the events, and the outstanding results they had achieved, affirming that the "This Is Bahrain" shows, in which Bahrain's milestone achievements and distinguished civilisational and human position were highlighted, were massively attended. BFEA's Secretary-General, Betsey Mathieson, delivered the following speech: "Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, "Your Majesty, "Thank you for the honour of receiving us here today, on our recent return from the Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations latest event, "THIS IS BAHRAIN" in Rome. "Your Majesty, may I begin by congratulating you on the KING HAMAD BIN ISA AL AL KHALIFA CHAIR IN INTERFAITH DIALOGUE AND PEACFUL CO-EXISTENCE from Sapienza University in Rome, Italy’s leading and most prestigious seat of learning. "Your Majesty, our communities are overjoyed at this noble Honour bestowed upon our beloved King. This new Academic Discipline is the first of its kind in the world and our hearts are filled with pride that young people from around the world will now be able to study Your Majesty’s unique, visionary Leadership Philosophy and it is our dearest wish that communities around the world will learn to live as we do in The Kingdom of Bahrain, in peace, and harmony in the spirit of love and mutual respect, freely practising our right to religious freedom, to actively practise our faith, to build our houses of worship and to exist together as One big happy Family, just as we have for many centuries. Your Majesty, this is the true essence of your Leadership Philosophy, Your Majesty ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN". "Your Majesty, with your permission, I would like to take a moment to thank His Excellency, Domenica Bellato, The Italian Ambassador to The Kingdom of Bahrain for his outstanding and enthusiastic support for ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN" in Rome, His Excellency and his Consular team at the Embassy gave us every assistance to make sure our Delegates’ journey to Rome was as smooth as possible. Your Majesty I must also mention that the airport and immigration authorities in Rome were so professional, efficient, and friendly on both our arrival and departure that we all felt like honoured guests from the moment we arrived in Italy. "Your Majesty we must also thank the Rector of Sapienza University His Excellency Eugenio Gaudi and Vice Rector Professor Renato Massiani and The President of the Sapienza University Foundation Professor Antonello Falco Biagini for their many months of hard work and co-operation that culminated in The King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Chair in Inter Faith Dialogue and Peaceful Co-Existence and A Formal Agreement between Sapienza University and Bahrain University for Student Exchange Programmes. Your Majesty, may I also extend a warm welcome to our Honoured guests from Russia, Head of The Delegation, and Vice President of The Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of The Russian-Bahraini Business Council, His Excellency Mr Vladimir Dmitriev, His Excellency Mr. Vagif Garaev, The Russian Ambassador to The Kingdom of Bahrain and the Young Ambassadors of the Russian Language who are here in Bahrain, to interact with the young students of Bahrain, exchanging ideas and learning from each other. This is the way towards broadening understanding and strengthening communication and co-operation between all peoples of the world and of course Your Majesty, it is our normal way of life here in The Kingdom of Bahrain, where we do not simply ‘tolerate’ others of different faiths, cultures and ethnicity, but where we warmly embrace them as part of our multi-faith, multicultural family. The warmth of the Bahraini welcome is legendary and we like to say that from the moment you arrive in the Kingdom you are no longer a stranger, so we extend our warmest welcome to our honoured guests today. "Your Majesty, Sapienza University send their grateful thanks for Your Majesty’s compassionate gesture of making a generous financial donation to assist the students and their families who were deeply affected by the recent earthquakes in Italy, as this has allowed them to continue their studies without interruption and with peace of mind. We would like to thank His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa for his gracious presence at ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN" in Rome and for facilitating the Donation through the Royal Charity Organisation. "Your Majesty, Bahrain has always been a pioneer and let us take education for example, with the first school in the region being opened in Bahrain in 1919 and the first school for girls shortly thereafter and today we are proud to note that Bahrain continues her innovative and pioneering role in this important field with the launch of The King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Chair in Inter-Faith Dialogue and Peaceful Co-existence in Sapienza University in Rome. "Your Majesty’s sincere belief that Religious Freedom coupled with Inter-Faith Dialogue is the key to peaceful co-existence and Your Majesty’s courageous commitment to continue to guarantee Rights and Freedoms to your people despite the very real and serious threats to our dignified and harmonious way of life by extremists in our region, is evidence that Your Majesty’s Leadership Philosophy is the Key to combatting extremism, terrorism and the radicalisation of our vulnerable young people. "Your Majesty, "THIS IS BAHRAIN" on our International journeys around the world proudly showcases Your Majesty’s multi-faceted achievements through the Democratic March and Reforms Programme and the achievements of Your Majesty’s Ministries led by The Head of Government, His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and in fact whatever country we visit on our global travels we find people are astonished at the extent of those achievements and the many services offered by the Ministries of Health, Education and Housing, amongst others, to both Bahrainis and Expatriates alike, because this is just not seen anywhere else in the world. Your Majesty we encounter similar astonishment when it comes to the outstanding focus on the Rights and Development of Women and Children in the Kingdom of Bahrain, led by our dear first lady, Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ebrahim Al Khalifa as this is unparalleled not just in our region but even in so called highly developed first world countries. "Your Majesty we highlight many more excellent examples of the reality of life in Bahrain during our International journeys around the world but our most important message is always one of Peace and Love because this is the cornerstone of Your Majesty’s Leadership Philosophy and this is exactly what our troubled world needs right now and we note that other world leaders are now following Your Majesty’s example and beginning to speak the same language to their people. "Your Majesty, we expatriates and Bahrainis who exist happily together as One Family, the Bahrain Family, are living proof that under Your Majesty’s Leadership, The Kingdom of Bahrain remains a shining beacon of Hope in a world filled with darkness, where love and mutual respect are the oxygen of that Hope and peaceful co-existence is our natural state of being. "Your Majesty, in today's world it is crucial that we concentrate on our young people and firmly plant those seeds of hope in our young generation and equip them with the opportunities, the skills, the confidence and the support to continue to reach those dizzying heights of achievement and uphold the peaceful co-existence that has been Bahrain’s legacy for centuries. "Your Majesty we already have the finest examples in our Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, whose Crown Prince’s Scholarship Programme has done just that since 1999 and over 160 of our finest young students from all walks of life, have been sent to study at the world's top universities, thanks to The Crown Prince’s Scholarship Programme. We also must mention His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Chairman of The Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, President of The Bahrain Olympic Committee, and Chairman of The Board of Trustees for The Royal Charity Organisation, His Highnesses own personal achievements as a world class athlete and his tireless work to ensure the Kingdom of Bahrain’s athletes make their mark on the worlds sporting stage, including winning Gold at this year's Olympics, are cause for great celebration as are the hard work and passionate commitment of His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy President of The Supreme Council for Youth & Sports, President of Bahrain Athletics Association and Founder of KHK Mixed Martial Arts Organization, which introduced a stunning new sporting platform to Bahrain that has already won recognition around the world. We are most fortunate to have three such inspiring young Leaders. "Your Majesty, I would like to take a moment to highlight the important role played by our "THIS IS BAHRAIN" Team who have worked very hard for many months to make "THIS IS BAHRAIN" in Rome a big success. Moreover Your Majesty, our Team work around the clock, keeping in touch with all the friends we have made and the organisations we now collaborate with as a result of our "THIS IS BAHRAIN" events since May 2014, in London, Berlin, Brussels, Paris, New York, Washington and now Rome. We keep them updated on the latest news and developments from the Kingdom of Bahrain including the on-going achievements of our Ministries and continue to work to assist in the development of business relationships born of ‘THIS IS BAHRAIN" events, we cultivate our relationships with Religious Leaders and Institutes around the world and update the European and other Parliamentarians and leading media organisations with the reality of life in Bahrain. Your Majesty our "THIS IS BAHRAIN’ Team have built up an enviable global database and their work is crucial to our on-going success and the powerfully positive impact that "THIS IS BAHRAIN" leaves in the hearts and minds of those it interacts with. Your Majesty, I beg your indulgence, as I thank them all, from the bottom of my heart for their hard work, love and loyalty for "THIS IS BAHRAIN" and the work we do in support of our home, The Kingdom of Bahrain. "Your Majesty I firmly believe that in Bahrain we are all united and I am very proud to be able to say that under The Leadership ‘BAHRAIN IS UNITED’. "Your Majesty, "BAHRAIN IS UNITED" is our new slogan for the National Day Celebrations and for celebrations on 14th February 2017, for the sixteenth anniversary of The National Action Charter. In 2001 98.4% said a resounding YES and we want to give everyone the opportunity to renew that pledge. "Your Majesty we will Open a Special Renewal of Vows Book to allow us to state anew our support for and belief in The Democratic March and to renew our pledge to stand behind Your Majesty and our Leadership as you continue to lead us on the path to an even greater era of Peace and Prosperity, where love reigns supreme and The Kingdom of Bahrain remains a haven of religious freedom and peaceful co-existence, and where our love for each other is the glue that forever binds us. "Your Majesty, that is why "BAHRAIN IS UNITED" and will remain so under Your Majesty’s wise Leadership." Addressing the audience, HM King Hamad expressed delight in receiving the participants in the "This Is Bahrain" events in Rome, where they highlighted Bahrain's calls for peace, love and tolerance, and projected the civilisational image of the kingdom as a land that has embraced pluralism and co-existence among various sects and religions throughout history. HM the King expressed profound gratitude to the Sapienza University in Rome, Italy’s leading and most prestigious seat of learning, for launching the "King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's Chair in Interfaith Dialogue and Peaceful Co-existence" to boost scientific research in the protecting human rights and respecting religions and cultures. HM King Hamad expressed hope that the "Chair" will contribute to promoting the culture of peace, tolerance, as well as to spreading rejection of extremism, hatred and fanaticism through the research studies that will be supported by the such an academic programme so as to achieve its scientific goals and humanitarian mission. HM the King renewed deep thanks and appreciation to the affiliates of the "This Is Bahrain" for their dedicated efforts through which they aim to showcase deep love for the kingdom. HM the King paid similar tribute to all national institutions that took part in the events organised by the "This Is Bahrain" to clarify the real situation in the kingdom and highlight its landmark successes in all fields. HM King Hamad then shook hands with the attendees, and thanked them for successful and good efforts towards the Kingdom of Bahrain.