While underscoring importance of interfaith harmony in society, speakers urged religious scholars for increasing social tolerance saying their participation will guarantee peaceful co-existence, tolerance and community cohesion across the board.
Recently, Voice Media Network in collaboration with CRA-North has organized an eight day series of sessions over capacity building training, seminars, conducting visit to religious sites amid dialogue sessions for religious scholars and leaders in the vicinity of Kurrum District of Kyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Objective of these sessions was to promote harmony at the national level in general and at the local level in particular.
Addressing to concluding session via online, Faiza Haseeb, Executive Director Voice Media Network from Seattle, USA emphasized importance of dialogue and tolerance for peaceful coexistence while expressing gratitude to participants and distinguished guests. Leaders from different schools of thought and religions have participated in various training and sessions of the program.
On the occasion, speakers Farnod Alam, Akhlaq Rasool Khan Khattak, TM Baig and Rafiq Azam highlighted significance of peaceful co-existence, tolerance and community cohesion. They also discussed impediments and negative attitudes towards peaceful relations urging the religious scholars and leaders to play their important role in promoting interfaith harmony at Kurrum (NMD-FATA).
It is worth mentioning that during the sessions a number of topics like individual and society, citizen and state, democracy and politics, dialogue and critical thinking, diversity and pluralism, constitution and law, religion and culture were discussed.
During trainings and sessions, resource persons evaluated causes of conflicts informing what steps have been taken to resolve the causes. They also discussed that how religious figures and leaders can address conflict resolution and to promote unity among people across the board.
Besides, scholars belonging to Muslims (Sunni & Shia), Christian & Sikh community participated in one-day seminar organized at Iqbal International Institute for Research & Dialogue (IRD), International Islamic University Islamabad.
Rector Islamic University Dr. Masoom Yasinzai, education and religious expert Ms. Aprilia Susanti from Indonesia, Professor Abeer Sultan from Al-Azhar University in Egypt and Secretary of Islamic Ideology Council Dr. Ikramul Haq also addressed the seminar.
They emphasized on religious tolerance, social harmony, promotion of dialogue and contemporary demands and their solutions in education and teaching.
Chairman Prof. Dr. Qibla Ayaz and Secretary to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Dr. Ikram-ul-Haq, gave a special address at the seminar.
Meanwhile, exposure visits to Faisal Mosque and the CII Islamabad, Gurdwara Panja Sahib at Hasanabdal, Krishna Mandir and Christ Church Rawalpindi were also organized for religious scholars and leaders in order to bridge the gap among various ideological groups.
