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Holy Wars Slaying Holy Days

It is one of the rare times when followers of the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) are coincidentally celebrating holy days of spiritual significance to each of them. Yet, the so-called “holy wars,” which is widely launched by the racist politicians who find muse in fueling religion-based hatred among the people of different religions, with the purpose to gain social influence, are painfully undermining the special spiritual momentum we are living through.
Since the beginning of April, Muslims have been celebrating the month of Ramadan, by fasting all day and praying most of the night, in order to free themselves from the materialistic world and reach spiritual revelation. This week, on Easter Holiday, Christians are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, after practicing fasting and atonement during the past forty days of the Great Lent. On the same week, the Jews are celebrating the Passover (Pesach Holiday), to remember their liberation from slavery, after a few weeks of fasting and deep spiritual reflections.
The one common moral of all the historical incidents, upon which these special holidays are based, is that it is completely in the hand of humans to make their world a piece of hell, by hating each other, or a piece of paradise, by loving and accepting each other. In all existing religions – Abrahamic or not – the common instruction is for humans to love each other and act as equals; no one is better and no one is inferior regardless of their different characteristics. “Diversity is a blessing” this sentence is stated in almost all the holy books, in one way or another.
Nonetheless, all over history there are examples of politicians abusing religion to justify wars that harvested thousands of lives, labeling their hellish assaults on other humans as an act of defending their own religion or “defending God,” the Almighty himself. That was the case in ancient Egypt, when Pharoah the King discriminated against the followers of Prophet Moses because they had shaken his throne by worshiping a different god. Also, that was the case of the ancient romans who targeted Jesus and his followers after seeing them as a threat to their political power. Many centuries later, the Crusades were launched under the same flag of the “holy war.” In our current days, Islamist terrorist organizations are using the same flawed religious rhetoric to justify killing and terrorizing innocent civilians everywhere.
Although we are not living in the dark ages, any more, and despite the existence of countless number of local and international laws that criminalizes all forms of discrimination, some politicians are still using religion to gain influence. That is not only true for the political Islamist organizations of the Middle East that have been mobilizing followers under the flag of religion, for decades. But even in Europe, where respect for human rights is unnegotiable, some politicians, especially from the far-right wing, are shamelessly promoting hate against the Muslim minorities, with the purpose to gain popularity among their citizens, who are legitimately panicked by the Islamist terrorist organizations, which leaked into their countries over the past decade. Yet, the victims of such discrimination are usually peaceful Muslims, who have nothing to do with the extremists.
One of those European politicians is Rasmus Paludan, a Danish-Swedish lawyer who leads a far-right political party with the name “Stram Kurs” or Hard Line. In bid for collecting voter signatures required to secure his candidature in the coming Swedish elections, in September, he decided to hold a gathering wherein he and some other extremists burn the Muslim’s holly book of Quran in public. In parallel, a similar group of far-right extremists in Norway convened an anti-Muslim rally, wherein they tore pages of Quran and spat on it.
Sadly, this is not the first time Paludan provokes Muslims in such a way. It will not be an exaggeration to say that Paludan’s entire political career and fame is based on the hatred he shows towards Muslims. While he is getting fame and political influence, his actions are causing riots that ended up paralyzing life in Malmo city and stirring anger among more than one billion Muslims worldwide. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, as well as the United Nations’ Alliance of Civilizations denounced the practice of burning the Quran. And, recently, he got arrested for practicing racism and prevented from entering Sweden. Yet, none of that was not enough to deter him.
European far-right extremists, like Paludan, are not less dangerous than the Islamist terrorists, from ISIS and Al-Qaeda. In fact, they are constantly fueling the terrorist groups with the “state of victimhood” they need to recruit followers and justify their terrorist operations, especially against non-Muslims. The most heartbreaking fact in all this dark scene of hate and discrimination is that neither the greedy politicians nor the violent extremists pay the price of these so-called “holy wars.” Only the innocent civilians do.
BY: Dalia Ziada
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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