Bahrain's cultural diversity, religious tolerance and ongoing reform process will be the focus of an international conference that will be held in London this weekend.

More than 100 delegates from Bahrain, including community figures, religious leaders and members of the expatriate community, will attend the exhibition and conference, called This is Bahrain, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

It is being organised by the Bahrain Federation of Expatriate Associations (BFEA) and will be held on Friday at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre in Westminster, London.

"We plan to show the real face of Bahrain to the world and correct the false and negative impression some individuals, organisations and media have been portraying," said BFEA secretary general Betsy Mathieson.

"We assume that one of the reasons this is happening is through lack of knowledge about Bahrain especially when many of them have not visited Bahrain and so we thought we would 'bring Bahrain to London' and let people see for themselves the rich history of our multiculturalism."

Mathieson said the event will act as an international platform for Bahrain residents to expose false reports that have been circulated by Western media criticising the country.

"Negative media reports affect our economy and a declining or unstable economy affects all of us, expats and Bahrainis," she said.

"So we have the right to protect our homes, businesses, jobs, future of our families and the most effective way to do that is simply to tell the truth and portray the real face of life in Bahrain.

"Every Bahraini living, working or studying in the UK and former Bahrain residents are invited to join us. It is a totally inclusive event and our message is one of love, peace, harmony and unity."

She stressed the one-day conference was "strictly a non-political event", adding they have not received any financial support or sponsorship from the Bahrain government.

"We are exercising our right to have our voice heard and offering others a platform to join us and make themselves heard too," she added.

Mathieson explained the importance of sharing Bahrain's history of religious and cultural tolerance with the world.

"We believe Bahrain is a shining example of how successful a multicultural society can be when the prevailing spirit is one of mutual respect and tolerance," she said.

"Bahrain is living proof of this philosophy. We know that when it comes to human rights everyone is equal and so we expats and Bahrainis join together as one family to illustrate clearly that Bahrain is our haven of peace, harmony and unity - our home." – TradeArabia News Service