New Campaign To Foster Unity

A nationwide initiative to promote unity and peace in Bahrain was launched yesterday by the Centre for Cultural Diversity.

The idea is take the photographs of 50 individual Bahrainis who represent the country's cultural and religious diversity and have them posted on billboards, restaurants, offices and universities across the island.

Each poster will include five or six key slogans that send a message of unity and brotherhood among Bahrainis.

The project, dubbed the Kingdom of Brotherhood, follows activities in the country that have promoted sectarian division between Shi'ites and Sunnis.

The centre's idea has received the backing of two key religious figures - Shi'ite clergyman Shaikh Hussain Najat and Sunni clergyman Shaikh Salah Al Jowder, who have agreed to be the first to have their pictures included in the project.

Centre director Dr Muhammad Al Zekri said individuals to appear on the movie posters would be selected from people he knew, from recommendations and from those on the street.

"Those in the posters must be absolute believers in brotherhood," he told the GDN.

"They will represent all walks of life, different genders, elderly, young, middle aged. It's a beautiful idea."

Dr Al Zekri, who holds a PhD in cultural anthropology, said the idea behind the project was to contribute to the positive reprogramming of society. He said posters had been proven to be effective in business and this project would have an impact on people.

This initiative was not to put a gag on differences but to enable people of different walks of life to negotiate and share their diversity in a peaceful and socially acceptable manner.

"We have to be very delicate here to understand each other and speak," he said.

The initiative will be shared with religious figures and others in the GCC.

The posters are expected to be launched later in the summer.

Dr Al Zekri said the centre also planned to conduct a similar project, which would represent Bahrainis and expats living in the country.

To sponsor the initiative, contact Dr Al Zekri on 36669328.

A further plan to unite Shi'ites and Sunnis has been launched by Bin Rajab Ma'atam in Manama.

Ma'atam head Faisal bin Rajab said the Ma'atam would be hosting several gatherings between Sunnis and Shi'ites in line with His Majesty King Hamad's objective to promote national unity and dialogue.

He said the gatherings would include a feast that would be open to all members of the community in honour of the one Bahraini family unit and one religion.

"We appreciate the King's direction which reflect the leadership's keenness to ensure a unified social fabric," he said.

June 30, 2008