Islam teaches love, compassion, tolerance: Rabbani

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani has said Monday that Islam is the religion of peace, which teaches us compassion, love, brotherhood and tolerance while the Muslim Ummah believes in peaceful co-existence in the world community.

 

“Today the world is talking about promotion of culture pluralism, inter-faith peace and inter-ethnic dialogue but it was the western imperialism and colonialism that distorted and fragmented the inter-cultures and inter-ethnic harmony in the regions they ruled,” Rabbani said.

He was addressing 137th Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly at St Petersburg, Russia, which is being participated by the heads of the parliaments, parliamentarians and delegates from around the globe.

Chairman Senate is leading a parliamentary delegation of the country comprising of seven members of National Assembly, four senators, secretary Senate and the senior officers from both the Houses of Parliament.

Rabbani said that a Charter of Madina (Misaq-e-Madina) is the first constitution of the human history which enshrines the message of peace and co-existence among comity of nations and laid basics for protection of minorities.

He emphasised that Islam spread the message of tolerance and harmony against the cruelty of the imperialism and colonialism in the Asia and Europe. “We are not barbarian and have opened the doors of culture and civilization”, he added.

Rabbani said that throughout the course of history lack of communication and dialogue as well as mistrust and misunderstanding among the peoples of different faith, culture and ethnicities has led to bloodshed, suffering and pain destroying individual societies and countries.

He reminded that from crusades to the French religious wars of 15th century and the thirty years wars that devastated Europe in 16th century, and from lingering Palestinian and Kashmir conflicts to Bosnian war and the current violent unrest in Middle East, peace has remained hostage to intolerance, racial, ethnic and religious discrimination, xenophobia, extremism, national rigidities, and non-recognition of religious and cultural pluralism.