Speaker and Head of the Parliamentary Division Executive Committee, Ahmed bin Salman Al Musallam, gave a speech in the General Debate in the Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue titled Parliaments and religious leaders: Promoting dialogue, working together for our common future in Marrakesh.
The conference is organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Parliament of Morocco in cooperation with Religions for Peace, and with the support of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the Mohammadia League of Religious Scholars.
The Speaker affirmed that Bahrain, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and with the support and follow-up of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, is proud of its civilizational and human heritage, and its cultural and religious diversity.
He noted that the Kingdom has taken pioneering steps in accordance with modern practices to consolidate the values of coexistence and peace, represented in Bahrain Declaration, the initiatives of the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence, and many projects and initiatives in all fields.
He recalled in his speech, Bahrain's hosting for the 146th Assembly of the IPU and its related meetings under the patronage of HM the King, in which HM King Hamad gave a speech calling for joint action to consolidate justice, in accordance with modern legislation compatible with international human rights conventions.
Al Musallam also referred to HM the King's call for the adoption of an international agreement to criminalize religious, sectarian and racist hate speech in all its forms, to prevent the abuse of freedoms and media and digital platforms to disrespect religions or incite extremism and terrorism, to work collectively to spread a culture of peace, understanding and acceptance of the other, to strengthen the friendly bonds between nations, and including these values in educational curricula and various activities, guided by the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In regards of to the importance of interfaith dialogue in deepening the values of coexistence, Al-Musallam said, that the world today needs more cooperation, solidarity and joint action, in order to promote the values and principles of peace and coexistence, and to spread a culture of tolerance and dialogue.
He added that some regions and societies are witnessing conflicts and crises due to lack of reason and wisdom, and hate speeches and incitement spearhead their platforms, resulting in extremism, intolerance and terrorism, whose victims are people, hope and the future.
Al Musallam highlighted the results that interfaith dialogue can achieve in ensuring the rule of law and promoting peace and coexistence, stressing the necessity to achieve cooperation between legislative assemblies, clerics and representatives of civil society, to overcome common challenges.
The Speaker conveyed HM the King's greetings and well wishes to the participants for a successful conference.
He expressed his gratitude to HM King Mohammed VI of Morocco for the hospitality and contributions in building parliamentary cooperation with religious representatives.
Source: Bahrain News Agency