Religious representatives stress need for teachers’ training, curricula review to curb extremism

Interfaith seminar

ISLAMABAD: Parliamentarians, representatives of civil society, academicians and policymakers on Wednesday unanimously stressed on reviewing country’s educational policy, ensuring training of teachers and Ulema to respect other religions and their sacred places.

Speaking in a seminar, titled ‘Promotion of Interfaith Harmony and Coexistence in the Light of Paigham-e-Pakistan’, the representatives said that Pakistan could become a peaceful country by acting upon Mithaq-e-Madinah. No country could progress without granting religious freedom to its citizens. Islam does not allow extremism, they added.

They said that Common Faith Centres should be established at various places of the country to enable different people to practice their religion there.

The seminar was presided over by Rector International Islamic University Professor Dr Masoom Yasinzai. MNAs Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, Asiya Nasir, Romina Khurshid Alam and prominent scholars from Hindu, Christian, Bhai, Sikh community and others attended the seminar.

MNA Romina Khurshid Alam read out a joint declaration saying that the declaration is in continuation of Paigham-e-Pakistan adopted on May 26, 2017 in a National Seminar on “Reconstruction of Pakistan Society in the Light of Mithaq-e-Madinah” under the chair of President of Pakistan.

The joint declaration said that all citizens, irrespective of their faith shall have the protection of law and rights including right to property, education, family, faith, right to profess and practice their religion.

Every citizen has the right to employment sans discrimination and right not to be discriminated in curriculum. The religious sentiments of all the communities are important and reciprocal for each other. Such social and religious reciprocity requires mutual respect and tolerance in the subjectivity of faith.

According to clause 16 of Mithaq-e-Madinah, all Muslim and non-Muslim citizens shall be treated with absolute equality. Places of worship, religious leaders and religious sentiments of all religions be respected.

Interfaith religious and theological differences may not be debated without strictly following the ethics of disagreement. Interfaith dialogue is a legitimate tool for advancing harmony and coexistence. It should be promoted as a policy for maintaining peace, harmony and co existence in the society.

Lectures, seminars, speeches and conferences encouraging love, mutual respect, harmony and cooperation with other religious communities be promoted. Religion-based hate speeches must be discouraged and shall be penalised under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 by considering them crimes against state. Heads of local governments should be given “Justice of Peace” powers to mitigate interfaith segregations and polarisations.

All institutions of State shall discourage faith-based discrimination and persecution. The word “minority” should be encouraged to promote interfaith harmony through performing cultural activities, arts, seminars, workshops, conferences and documentaries. A subject of interfaith harmony, tolerance and peaceful coexistence should be introduced as a compulsory subject in all primary and higher secondary schools of Pakistan. It shall be made obligatory for religious scholars of all the faiths to promote nationalism, humanism, social cohesion and interfaith harmony in their respective religious gatherings on weekly basis.

None should be allowed to defame Pakistan and its ideological norms on the basis of differences of faith. A corps of volunteers of peace shall be raised by all religious communities to promote and protect social cohesion. Forceful conversion is not permitted in Islam and coercion in change of faith has no place in Shariah. System of education be improved in a way where interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence be promoted. Examples from the life of Holy Prophet (PBUH) should be included in curricula to symbolise interfaith harmony.

Religious leaders and scholars may be invited to visit religious places of other religious communities to develop interfaith harmony.—APP