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No religion allows prejudice, says Rashid

IslamabadTerming the promotion of inter-faith harmony and tolerance as vital and need of hour for peaceful co-existence in the society, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid said no religion allows prejudice, pugnacity or anarchism.Addressing the Interfaith Peace and Thanksgiving Conference, organised by Universal Interfaith Peace Mission here at a

By Humayun Aziz Sandeela
April 16, 2015
Islamabad
Terming the promotion of inter-faith harmony and tolerance as vital and need of hour for peaceful co-existence in the society, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid said no religion allows prejudice, pugnacity or anarchism.
Addressing the Interfaith Peace and Thanksgiving Conference, organised by Universal Interfaith Peace Mission here at a local hotel on Wednesday, Pervaiz Rashid said that there was no majority or minority in the country as all were Pakistanis.
Information minister said: “We are part of humanity and we can move towards progress and prosperity with this spirit and thinking.”
The minister regretted that some unscrupulous elements have tried to damage identity of the country. This is despite the fact that no religion allows prejudice, pugnacity or anarchism, he added.
Pervaiz Rashid said there was no justification to sow seeds of differences among believers of different faiths when they are heavily inter-dependent. He called upon the religious scholars to guide the masses in accordance with the true spirit and teachings of Islam.
Speaking on the occasion, Universal Interfaith Peace Mission President Allama Abul Fateh GR Chishti said the award of first prize is not only an achievement for his organisation, but an honour for Pakistan. “Today this conference is being organised as a token of thanks to Hashemite King of Jordon for selecting his organisation for first prize in World Interfaith Harmony Week celebrations,” he added.
Further eulogising mission of his Universal Interfaith Peace Mission, he said practicing Islamic teachings in their true spirit could guarantee our betterment in the world and the life hereafter. He advised the Muslims of Pakistan and the world to promote love and harmony, respect minorities and collectively work for country’s progress setting aside all differences.
He said Islam never allowed imposing own faith on others and added that it was the outcome of religious tolerance that Muslims had ruled the sub-continent and people had embraced Islam being impressed by the tolerance practiced by Muslim saints.
He called for following the philosophy of saints to regain the grandeur of Islam and introduce the religion to the world in its true form.
It merits mentioning here that the organisation won the prize on basis of organising different events at Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Jamia Masjid, New Sohan, Islamabad Divine Light Public School, Islamabad, and private TV channel for its excellence in scope and reach.
The second prize was bagged by Mrs Gisela Jahn and Dr. Beatrix Jakubicka of Germany for their ‘Friedenskette der Religionen’ in Munich connecting 15,000 people in a human chain of light between five houses of worship.
The third prize was awarded to World Interfaith Harmony Week Toronto Steering Committee of Canada for their eight events during the WIHW including: Launch Event, Interfaith Dialogue Circle, How We Talk To God, Race And Religion, Faith And Social Justice, Christian-Jewish Dialogue, An Evening of Interfaith Performing Arts, Interfaith Ecology Hike, Efforts to Obtain Government of Canada Support.