Syeda Mazhar
In a country like Pakistan, where religious beliefs are considered to be an integral part of the identity of a vast majority of people, the struggle to promote good interfaith relations between different faith communities is extremely important. The country has been trying to take concrete steps in fixing its reputation of having a poor history of communal violence and its minority groups feeling marginalized. This image has led the country to be targeted by various violent and extremist groups.
Our religion, Islam, preaches peace, brotherhood and harmony and strictly prohibits bloodshed and chaos. It is a religion that declares that the murder of a human being is tantamount to killing the whole humanity. War and conflict never provide solution to any problem. The Holy Quran also teaches the lesson of adopting the path of peace and discourages violence.
The enemies of Pakistan want to divide Pakistanis on the name of religion, sectarianism creed, color and race. However, there is a broad consensus that the way forward is to counter these extremist narratives at every front. To eradicate terrorism, we would have to promote a culture of interreligious dialogue in Pakistan. Through this, as the masses and the Army affirmed, Pakistan can promote a sense of shared values and respect for each other’s religious beliefs.
The interfaith movement in Pakistan needs more than commitment and enthusiasm of local and international interfaith groups – it requires a consistent strategy to achieve its desired results and a concrete platform to stabilize itself. Pakistan Army provides and supports the movement with all its zeal by providing the people a platform to have interfaith celebrations and dialogue.
The Government of Pakistan is working for spreading of peace and taking steps to encourage equality and protect rights of minorities. Army especially plays an important role in the establishment of the tolerance and law and order between the different religions yet, religious and sectarian rivalries persisted, claiming a massive human toll. The imperative need to recognize the minority community as also a pillar of the country and acknowledging them, actively playing their role in its progress and prosperity has been highlighted by the Army, this Diwali too. In addition, the government called onto the Hindu community and reassured them, by taking up the responsibility of doubling their efforts in respecting their basic rights.
The role of the government is paramount on emphasizing the necessity of making the media more independent and responsible to bring both developmental and non-developmental issues to life. There is an urgent need for greater equality and social justice and for peace. The government and the armed forces are a visible sign of our commitment to this and we can only move forward by lives of service.
One of the major obstacles in popularizing the ideas of interfaith relations is the widespread social acceptance of prejudice against members of minority groups. Society at large needs to be sensitized over the issue, so that every person, irrespective of their religious beliefs, takes it’s as their prime civic responsibility to counter the hatred and violence prevailing in society. Media can play a central role in this. At the moment, some certain sections of media do raise and cover interfaith issues in Pakistan, but it stills needs to become one of the top priorities. The founder of Pakistan’s vision was to promote citizenship and inclusiveness in Pakistani society. This vision, which was distorted by many extremist elements residing in the country, is now being materialized. The contemporary Pakistani society is increasingly rediscovering the importance of promoting interfaith relations between communities.
Jinnah especially focused on the youth of Pakistan. The young people of Pakistan can bring about a revolution in terms of bringing peace and stability to the country – provided, that is, they are educated on the true theological teachings based on peace, love, tolerance and compassion. They also need to be aware of the contribution of members of minority faith groups in the creation and development of Pakistan – the unsung heroes of Pakistan who are rarely highlighted in the textbooks. This approach will promote a sense of citizenship and equality among the citizens irrespective of their religious beliefs to make a just, united and inclusive Pakistan, where people are not oppressed because of their faith.
Even despite the Indian propaganda that the extremist intolerant elements are gaining ground in the Pakistani society, they have failed to win the hearts and minds of the majority of the Pakistanis, who can ever more see them for what they are. This recognition of the very real threat of extremism, for all Pakistanis, provides a powerful opportunity to enhance the coordination of all these moderate voices, and to counter the extremist narratives at various levels in society, in order to foster community cohesion and interfaith harmony.
The religious festivals are sources of spreading happiness and love. By participating in interfaith festivals we can, not only play a role to boost the harmony in the country but such acts and spirit would be helpful to eliminate extremism, intolerance and terrorism from the region.
