Similarly most Arab newspapers welcomed the new formation of the Council and considered it as enhancing democracy in Bahrain. The creation of a multicultural Consultative Council reflects Sheikh Hamad's agenda of reform and inclusiveness. The appointments to the Consultative Council coincide with the publishing of this year's US State Department Report on International Religious Freedom, which again recognised the steps Bahrain's government has taken to ensure the Constitutionally guaranteed right of freedom of worship. Christians and other non-Muslims, including Jews, Hindus, Baha'is, Buddhists, and Sikhs, are free to practise their religion, maintain their own places of worship, and display the symbols of their religion. The report notes that local bookstores sell Christian and other religious publications alongside Islamic texts.
Religious communities are free to pray in the many places of worship that can be found in Bahrain.
Indeed in the capital Manama, churches, Hindu and Buddhist temples, a Sikh Gurudawara and a synagogue can be found alongside mosques. The State Department Report recognises government efforts to actively promoted tolerance and understanding. In 1997 the late Emir, Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, invited all the country's religious leaders, from every faith, to an ecumenical gathering at his residence to discuss both temporal and spiritual matters. Under Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa this genuine concern and cooperation with other religions has remained a priority. Today, dignitaries from almost every religion regularly visit Bahrain to meet government and civic leaders.