Unity our strength

Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa slammed Qatari and Iranian designs targeting the Kingdom. “Qatari and Iranian conspiracies to subvert national unity and spark chaos are doomed to fail,” he said in a statement to Al Hayat newspaper. He said the unity of loyal people of Bahrain will always be a bulwark that protects the homeland and strengthens the nation to confront challenges. He said that Qatar and Iran have long been plotting to target Bahrain’s security, stability and national unity.  

“If Iran targets the Shi’ite sect, Qatar preys on the Sunnis and Shi’ites,” he said, describing Qatari and Iranian conspiracies as being systematic. He said that Iran relies on fanning the flames of sectarianism to interfere in Bahrain’s internal affairs blatantly, while Qatar seeks to undermine social cohesion and damage family bonds, which represents an affront to authentic Arab and Islamic values and customs.

“Our national identity is strong, inclusive and difficult to infiltrate or erode,” he said, adding that the patriotic identity strengthens Bahrain to thwart all plots and attempts to fuel sectarianism. “These desperate conspiracies will only make us united and strong more than ever,” said the Minister of Interior. Separately, General Shaikh Rashid chaired here yesterday the second meeting of the committee to follow up the implementation of the National Plan to Promote the Spirit of Belonging to the Nation and Reinforce the Values of Nationalism.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Education, Minister of Labour and Social Development, Minister of Information Affairs, Minister of Health and Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs. General Shaikh Rashid welcomed the members, noting that the national plan comes as part of the comprehensive vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to reinforce the spirit of belonging to the nation. He highlighted the importance of joint efforts to achieve goals, missions and responsibilities of the committee to serve the nation and citizens.

The committee was briefed on the progress of the implementation of the plan and the results of meetings of the executive office with authorities concerned for implementing the initiatives. Some new initiatives were introduced, and others were integrated, bringing the total to 89 initiatives, of which 60 have been applied. The Interior Minister explained that the conspiracies of Qatar and Iran and their attempts to divide the nation and promote sedition and chaos will fail because of the national unity of Bahrainis and their loyalty to HM the King, which would enable them to meet challenges. He added that the Qatari and Iranian interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain aren’t new, but an ongoing approach and come in different forms.

The Interior Minister launched the website of the National Plan www.bahrainouna. com, expressing thanks and appreciation to the members for their support and cooperation. General Shaikh Rashid also thanked official and private organisations for their collaboration, along with media figures, writers, columnists, individuals and organisations for their contributions to this distinguished national work.