Evangelical Pastor praises Bahrain's religious freedoms

Manama, Feb. 19 – (BNA): The Rev. Hani Aziz the Pastor of Bahrain’s National Evangelical Church has praised the cosmopolitan diversity and the atmospheres of freedom of worshipping and belief in the Kingdom. He said that all heavenly religions have called for peaceful co-existence, tolerance and respecting one another in fraternity and amity away from extremism and conflict. He told Bahrain News Agency that "all of us are aware of looming dangers that threaten the Arab region and that if any country thinks it is exempt from that danger, it is thinking wrong and should rethink. Regarding the recent events which resulted in several Egyptian victims, he said that Arabs should unite as countries and peoples in order for peace to prevail. He added that peace is expensive and costly, and that throughout the ages peoples paid their lives as price for peace. He stressed that we must unite and focus our goals in spreading peace, security and safety in the Arab region. The Arab peoples nowadays are suffering because we are busy on our differences and have forgotten what binds all of us together. And regarding the role of religious leaders from various faiths in bridging the gap between peoples, the Rev. Hani Aziz said that "religious leaders should explain the spiritual meaning of peace and affirm that peace starts from the inside of a person and that nobody can live in peace with himself unless he is at peace with the Almighty Creator. The crux of the matter begins by advancing a man's relation with his Creator then the rest of things will be fixed accordingly, he added. Unfortunately, many people who claim to know Allah the Almighty better that the rest of people, turned out to have false knowledge evidenced by their inability to co-exist with others or with themselves in peace. The Rev. Hani Aziz urged the whole world to unite and stand in one queue because terrorism is not confined to one religion or one homeland. He said that Arab Christians are part of the Arab fabric, have contributed in the Arab civilization and resisted colonialism alongside with Muslim compatriots. Therefore, we must remember that Arab blood relations bind us together. There are about 120,000 Christians residents in Bahrain who practice the freedom of religious worshipping unrestrictedly.