Undersecretary visits Patriarchate of Antioch and Moscow Grand Mosque

Moscow, Nov.1(BNA): While visiting the Patriarchate of Antioch and Moscow Grand Mosque, Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed: Bahrain a pioneering model of Religious tolerance During his official visit to Moscow, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for International Affairs Dr. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa continued his activities and meetings. He attended a luncheon hosted in his honor by His Eminence, the Most Reverend Niphon Saykali, the Representative of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East at the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. During the meeting, Bishop Saykali praised the His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s patronage of all religions and sects in the Kingdom of Bahrain making of the Kingdom a model in terms of religious coexistence where all sects, civilizations and cultures meet. He expressed his admiration of the religious pluralism and cultural diversity in Bahrain, appreciating the royal decision to allot a piece of land in the Kingdom of Bahrain to build the church. He hailed the launch of the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence and the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Declaration as a positive addition to His Majesty's series of civilizational and humanitarian initiatives, especially that the whole world is in dire need of such initiatives," describing them as factors that contribute to rapprochement between peoples and religions. Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed expressed his sincere appreciation of true feelings of Archbishop Saykali, pointing out that the Kingdom's commitment to strengthening cooperation and friendship between different countries and peoples fall within the framework of promoting mutual respect and rejecting extremism, violence, hatred and intolerance. He uttered pride in the close ties between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the church valuing the Church’s role in spreading the culture of peace and love. The Kingdom of Bahrain, under the leadership of His Majesty the King, embodies a pioneering civil and human model of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence, based on dialogue among followers of different religions and faiths, the Undersecretary for International Affairs said. “The protection of religions, diversity, unity and ethical and religious principles constitute major tributaries behind Bahrain's pioneering at the global level.” Dr. Shaikh Dr. Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa also visited the Grand Mosque in Moscow where His Eminence the Grand Mufti of Russia, Russian Muftis Shura Council Chairman & President of the Religious Administration of Muslims in Russia, Shaikh Rawi Ainuddin warmly welcomed him. Shaikh Ainuddin accompanied Dr. Shaikh Abdullah on a tour of the mosque, which is the largest mosque in Europe that can accommodate 10 thousand worshippers at a time, where he looked at its sections and facilities, and listened to a briefing on its phases of construction and architectural designs. During the meeting, His Eminence the Grand Mufti extended his thanks and appreciation to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and expressed his great gratitude to His Majesty for his continuous support to the Muslims in the Russian Federation and his pioneering role in embedding Islamic values and interfaith dialogue. His Eminence Sheikh Rawi Ainuddin pointed out that the Kingdom of Bahrain was one of the first countries to support Muslims in the Russian Federation as it opened the Bahrain Public Library in Moscow and His Majesty the King patronized the International Holy Quran Competition and provided mosques with the Holy Quran books in Ramadan. His Eminence praised the prevalence of religious freedoms in the Kingdom of Bahrain and lauded the leadership’s efforts to promote inter-civilizational and inter-faith dialogue to reach common ground that would contribute to the spread of peace and tolerance through an approach of moderation. In his turn, Shaikh Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Khalifa expressed his deep thanks to Shaikh Ainuddin for the warm hospitality and good feelings towards the Kingdom of Bahrain and commended the efforts of His Eminence the Mufti to uphold the values of coexistence and moderation and spread authentic religious concepts He hailed such deeds as reflective of the true image of the Islam, which calls for tolerance and mercy and rejects extremism and terrorism of all forms, affirming that the Kingdom of Bahrain enjoys a climate of tolerance, coexistence, love and the one family spirit thanks to the sagacious leadership of His Majesty the King. He added that The Kingdom represents a model of tolerance among religions and peaceful co-existence in the context of a unique and genuine reality, based on noble religious values.