The institution of an award for exceptional service to humanity on an international level, by the Kingdom of Bahrain, (GDN, May 27) is a welcome step.
That this award is in memory of and named after the late Amir, His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, makes it very apt, as he himself was a great humanitarian, who built a strong and unassailable foundation to make Bahrain the sole secular Gulf country where human rights are guaranteed and respected.
People from various parts of the world who have lived in Bahrain for several decades will be aware of the late Amir’s far-sightedness. He had, by his exemplary compassion, made himself very dear not only to Bahrainis but also to people of the country as a whole.
It is heartening to see that over the last 15 years, since the demise of Shaikh Isa, His Majesty King Hamad, His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and the government of Bahrain have followed his footsteps in letter and spirit meticulously.
On behalf of the international community who value humanitarian services as the greatest human quality, kindly permit us to place our sincere and respectful appreciation to His Majesty and his government for this progressive step of global importance.
That the first recipient of this prestigious Isa Award is a lady – Dr Jemilah Mahmood of Malaysia’s Mercy Foundation – makes it more laudable as it shows that Bahrain respects greatness of people without any gender discrimination.
Our congratulations to Dr Mahmood.
We hope that such exemplary acts will convince the world that despite being a small island country, Bahrain has a lot of mature and farsighted leadership qualities that need to be emulated by all, for the good of humanity.
Let the true secularism and humanitarian qualities of Bahrain and its people set an example for the world, including the so-called super powers – who are vying with each other in encouraging hatred and terrorism – to turn themselves to the right direction to safeguard the future of humanity.
Chandra Madhavan