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The communities in Bahrain are in shock at the latest Daesh terrorist attack which took place on Bastille Day in Nice on July 14.

I have experienced an immense outpouring of emotion, of solidarity with the victims, their families and with the people of France at this latest atrocity and loss of human life.

Bahrainis and expatriates alike are horrified, so our ‘This Is Bahrain’ group took the initiative to hold a Candle Light Prayer Vigil outside the French Embassy to allow us to come together and offer our prayers and our respects.

Now more than ever we must join hands and hearts to stand together and deny the oxygen of hate and violence that Daesh thrive on and instead suffocate their evil with the purity of our love, kindness, compassion and peaceful coexistence.

The Kingdom of Bahrain has lived in a loving, peaceful way for centuries, where race, religion or background do not matter, what matters is our humanity, our spirit of mutual respect, unity and the fact that we do not just tolerate each other, we embrace each other and respect everyone’s rights and freedoms.

Bahrain is a shining beacon of hope in a troubled world, thanks to the wise, compassionate, visionary leadership of His Majesty King Hamad and his strong belief in the goodness of the human spirit and His Majesty’s insistence on upholding our right to religious freedom and we must share this with the world to fight the global disease of terrorism.

We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of France in their time of great sorrow but we also remember the victims of conflict everywhere in the world and send them our thoughts and prayers.

Sadly, this is not the first time France has experienced the unspeakable horror of terrorism, so we know that the strength, resilience and courage of the wonderful people of France will carry them through this tragedy and lead them to a more united, stronger, and even greater nation.

We are all human and we have more in common than that which divides us but at this difficult time I must share the words of the great Victor Hugo: ‘There are moments when, whatever the position of the human body, the soul is on it’s knees’.

On Saturday night the Kingdom of Bahrain collectively embraced these words in tribute, in remembrance, in respect, in solidarity … sending peace and love to the world.

Betsy Bennett Mathieson, by email.

The Tau Gamma Sigma of the Triskelion International Kingdom of Bahrain, popularly known as TI-KOB by different Triskelion Councils worldwide, is a non-profit organisation formed on July 24, 2004.

As part of our 12th anniversary celebrations we are going to hold a small invitation-only dinner forum honouring women - then and now. It will be held at the 100 Residence Tower in Juffair tomorrow (July 21) at around 8pm onwards.

We have invited women guest speakers from both the Filipino community and other local women’s organisations, including the POLO/OWWA Labour Attaché Cynthia Q. Lamban. The programme will start with a traditional welcoming ceremony followed by a forum discussing the theme of the night ‘A Woman with Worth’ with a few sharing inspirational stories.

The night will culminate with the ‘Evening of Triskelion Talents’ dinner presentation and some surprise activities.

Lerma Isala, by email.