Under the patronage of the King of Bahrain, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Kingdom of Bahrain is set to host the ‘Bahrain Dialogue Forum: East and West for Human Coexistence’ on the 3rd and 4th of November in the capital Manama. The event will be attended by His Holiness Pope Francis, Pontiff of the Catholic Church and His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, alongside over 200 religious leaders and figures from around the world.

The event is set to be held in partnership between the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in the Kingdom of Bahrain, the King Hamad Global Center for Peaceful Coexistence and the Muslim Council of Elders and is part of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s continued efforts in maintaining dialogue between religious, intellectual and cultural leaders in partnership with Al-Azhar, the Holy See and the Muslim Council of Elders along with a host of other organizations in related fields.  

The two-day forum will include an opening ceremony along with four main sessions discussing; ‘Experiences of promoting global dialogue and coexistence (Bahrain Declaration)’, ‘Role of religious leaders and scholars in contemporary challenges’, ‘Climate change and the global food crisis’ and ‘Religious dialogue and achieving global peace: Human Fraternity Document as a historical model’. The forum will then be concluded with a a closing ceremony. 

The Muslim Council of Elders is an independent international organization based in Abu Dhabi and is considered one of the preeminent organizations in spreading dialogue, coexistence and human fraternity around the world. Founded in 2014, it comprises various Muslim scholars and figures well-known for their wisdom, justice, independence, and moderateness. In 2019, the Council organized the 'Human Fraternity Meeting' in Abu Dhabi between His Holiness Pope Francis, Pontiff of the Catholic Church and His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders which culminated in the signing of the historic 'Document on Human Fraternity'.