Ramadan, Respect and Tolerance

(Editorial in Arabic - PDF File) 

Another Ramadan is upon us.  I remember my first Ramadan in Bahrain, last year. What a wonderful experience that was. Visiting friends in their majlises. Seeing people of all communities and walks of life coming together. Sharing news and stories. Wishing each other well. It was a scene of wonderful harmony and peace and friendship. This was the first Bahrain that I saw. 

Ramadan is also a time of reflection and prayer. As a new holy month approaches, I think about that experience, one year ago. As I look forward this year to sipping tea, eating sweets and exchanging stories with our many friends in their homes, I look back and wonder: What will people be talking about now, as compared to last year? What has changed in Bahrain and the world?   

One topic I'm sure people will be talking about is the elections in the United States. Who is going to win? What changes will that bring to U.S. foreign policy? How will it affect Bahrain and the region?

I expect that another topic of discussion will be the recent political developments in Bahrain.  The sectarian difference. The response of the government. The call of His Majesty the King for order, tolerance and peace. And what the future holds. 

It strikes me that an intense national debate is going on in both our countries. Citizens are asking:  What have we accomplished in the past eight years? What has been achieved?  Are circumstances better for me and my family? Are we more prosperous, more secure?  Where are our leaders taking us and what we can do about it? 

These are the kinds of questions and debates that lie at the heart of a democracy. Citizens are right to ask them and to expect answers. What is not acceptable is to destroy property or attack and kill others in order to make a point.  Nor is it right, in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic democracy to question the loyalty, patriotism or integrity of those with whom you may not agree. 

We have witnessed both of these developments in Bahrain this year. Fortunately, His Majesty the King and Bahrain's religious and civil leadership have strongly condemned them. They have called on the people of Bahrain to show respect for one another and tolerance for differences of opinion. In multi-cultural societies like America or Bahrain, it is our diversity that makes us strong. The different backgrounds, religions and ethnicities of our citizens make us richer as a society and stronger as a nation. We must respect and cherish these differences. All citizens must be guaranteed equal rights and equal opportunities, no matter what their faith or ethnic origin. And no citizen can be allowed to advocate violence or hatred against their fellow countrymen. 

No matter how the elections turn out in the United States, this January we will see either an African-American in the White House as President or a woman as Vice President.  It is difficult to exaggerate the significance of this moment. Here we have two groups - blacks and women - who for generations have been discriminated against. Labelled second-class citizens.  Denied many of the rights and privileges that white men receive. And now, thanks to hard work, commitment and dedication to peaceful political change, they are transforming our nation. America will never be the same after this November.

This Ramadan, Bahrainis and American have much to be thankful for. The future is looking bright for both our countries. Let us celebrate our richness and diversity and take to heart the words of his Highness King Hamad, when he says: "The human march that could only flourish amid the values of pluralism, tolerance, co-existence and social harmony. Bahrain's civilized history's texture is made of these great values."