Bahrain Mirror: The fourth Abdulrahman Al-Nuaimi Forum was held in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, in the presence of Bahraini and Arab Figures.

The prominent human rights defender Abdulnabi Al-Ekri said that "this is the fourth forum of Abdulrahman Al-Nuaimi. It is an annual forum that addresses an important issue that concerns all Arabs."

As for the forum's subject of discussion this year, Al-Ekri said "the forum tackled sectarian fighting and the future of a state of nationalism. It covered four areas through which it attempted to trace the roots of sectarianism in the nation and Islamic thought," adding that "this means that throughout 1400 years, the roots of this Islamic sectarianism grew leading to conflicting sects. We hoped to achieve independence after these paths; to establish a nationalist state. However, despite all the achievements made by some nationalist systems, it is safe to say that we founded dictatorship and not a state based on citizenship. We weakened the national identity that had evolved through its struggle against colonialism and Zionism into sub-identities."

"We had to raise many hard questions, why are we stuck in this situation? What are the solutions? I think that the forum's discussions are not the end, as the forum is limited and so are the participations. However, I believe that there are efforts upon which we can build something," he further stated.

Al-Ekri went on to say that "the elites suggest ideas that are not an alternative to the political forces. They suggest some ideas which can be used to find a solution to the worst situation the Arabs have experienced; civil wars, as well as internal and proxy wars. This is one of the issues raised today in the forum and I hope it can be also touched upon in the future."

Arabic Version