Religious leaders gather for Planting Seeds of Peace in Bahrain

Manama, Bahrain- The seed of peace was planted in the Middle East, the most militarized region in the world due to the frequent religious conflicts. The initiation took place on April 25th 2015 in Manama, Bahrain through the first World Alliance of Religions Peace (WARP) Office Meeting hosted by an international peace organization Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (“HWPL”).

Bahrain, the nation that has been waiting for the peaceful and harmonious society has finally seen the light of peace. The goal of the WARP Office Meeting which is promoting coexistence and tolerance between different faiths is in line with the vision of Dr. Yousuf Buzaboon, the chairman of Bahrain Association for Religious Coexistence & Tolerance, who had participated in HWPL’s WARP Summit in 2014. Since then he actively supported the establishment of the peace office in his home country and facilitated this gathering.

25 proactive Bahraini religious leaders from various faiths such as Islam, Sikhism, Judaism, and Christianity came together under the topic of “Peace in the Scriptures” and gave respective speeches based on their religious texts.

Mr. Ebrahim Dawood who participated in the WARP Office Meeting as a Jewish representative said, “I have witnessed the feasible peace here where the religious leaders gathered” and emphasized the important responsibilities of religious leaders in establishing world peace. Mr. Muhammed Zuhair, the Chairman of a non-profit educational institution, Discovery Islam, also said, “It seems like this interfaith peace meeting would be a great starting point for achieving peace. I hope that more people will gather in one place and discuss about solutions for peace together.”

The WARP Office aims to prevent the conflicts caused by religious misunderstandings and bring peace by gaining deeper understandings of the standards and teachings of each religion. Presentations and discussions to propose a more effective way toward peace are the central goal of the office. Peace offices that engage the local and regional communities of all religions are arising all over the world. Currently, there are 55 WARP offices established in 35 countries including but not limited to Los Angeles, New York City, Australia, Germany, Georgia, Mexico, Philippines, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Cameroon. The fruitful nature of these meetings shows promise and great growth of peace-building process in the near future.