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AN expat-inspired global tour to promote Bahrain will be heading for another European hotspot of terrorism trauma … the French capital of Paris, writes Stan Szecowka.
The roadshow’s last port of call was Belgium just after counter-terrorist units foiled what was described as a jihadist plot to stage a major attack, killing two gunmen and wounding another in a shootout.
“It’s a complete coincidence,” said Betsy Mathieson, Secretary General of The Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations (BFEA).
The city of Paris is still recovering from January’s events in which 16 people were killed in attacks on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a kosher grocery store. A police officer was also killed during a traffic stop. Three suspects in the attacks were killed by police in separate standoffs.
Disenfranchised and disillusioned by the failure of integration, some European Muslims have taken up jihad against the West.
“We believe that the Bahrain Model of peaceful co-existence is a shining example to the world that all religions, cultures and nationalities can live together in harmony,” said Ms Mathieson, a former GulfWeekly columnist.
His Majesty King Hamad reiterated Bahrain’s commitment to an inclusive society in which all people are represented, at a reception at Sakhir Palace last week. Speaking as he received representatives of Bahrain’s expatriate communities, he pledged that the kingdom would remain a country of openness, pluralism, co-existence and tolerance ‘despite challenges now facing the region and the world’.
Around 300 people who took part in events in the UK, Belgium and Germany under the banner ‘This Is Bahrain’ were welcomed to the palace. They included expatriates and Bahrainis who have already showcased the country’s inclusive society in the European capitals of London, Brussels and Berlin.
Members of a European delegation, which included representatives of countries the roadshow has visited, were also present. He also offered his backing for the This Is Bahrain roadshows.
Scottish-born Ms Mathieson said: “For centuries Bahrainis have grown up in a multi-cultural, multi-faith society sharing values, beliefs and cultures and promoting tolerance, peace, love and unity.
“This amazing social diversity has proven to be a powerful educational tool and Bahrainis accept this diversity as the correct and normal way to live and this is why Bahrain and her people will always reject radicalism, extremism, sectarianism and sedition because they are totally alien to the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Bahraini way of life.
“In the Kingdom of Bahrain we know that ‘ignorance is the enemy of tolerance, and education is the nourishment for peace’ and so This Is Bahrain proudly shares this beautiful, humble Bahraini philosophy as we travel from country to country with our message of peace and love.”
A dinner was later staged at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel & Spa where plans were discussed to take the This Is Bahrain tour to Paris in April followed by the US in September.
