Daily Times

Love should be the only way to move forward and especially when it comes to interfaith harmony within an environment of Religious Pluralism. It is a way forward towards calmness and perhaps triumph, both urgently required in a world of growing political and economic discord.

Inter-faith harmony is a credible condition, suggesting peaceful co-existence among practitioners of various religious beliefs, aimed at eliminating the possibility of discord, violent or non-violent. Such a condition calls for a global level of understanding that all religions are equally acceptable in terms of their basic doctrine as well as indications in human behaviour along with all consequence of traditions and their evolution to the contemporary life.

Unluckily, religion has emerged as a major source of clash across the globe. Ideological conflict has now given place to the “clash of civilizations” and it is felt that in the anticipated future, religion will be a major source of conflict within and among nations. The possibilities of conflict are greater in countries where different cultures and religions meet.

We live in fascinating times. To respond to a mad act with an equally insane gauge is progressively becoming an acceptable fashion across the globe. Interfaith dialogue can help fight evil forces and leash in fundamentalist elements among various religious communities.

“Diversity is the Will of ALLAH and we should accept that”

Pakistan is the land where 95% of the total population is Muslim, while the rest five percent are Christians, Hindus, Parsis, Zoroastrians, Bahais, Sikhs, Buddhists, and small portions Kalasha, Kihals, and Jains. This diversity signifies the need to develop a pluralistic society in which people with different beliefs can live in peace and harmony. The 1973 Constitution of Pakistan declares Pakistan as an Islamic Republic, and Islam as the state religion protects rights of all citizens without any discrimination of faith and religion. The Articles 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 36 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan provide full protection and equal rights to all citizens including minorities to freely profess and practice their religion and culture. Islam has proved to be a guardian of human rights in accordance with the vision of the father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Quaid-e-Azam narrated firmly the rights of minorities in Pakistan:

“Minorities to whichever faith they may belong, they will be safeguarded. Their religion or faith or belief will be secure. There will be no interference of any kind with their freedom of worship. They will have their rights and privileges and no doubt, along with it goes the obligation of citizenship”.

Pakistan was created in the name of religion. The flag of Pakistan also signifies the existence and importance of minorities of the state. The constitution 1973 of Pakistan protects the minorities’ rights to live in the state freely. Evidently, Pakistan is considered as an unsafe country for non-Muslims to reside in. Previous outbreaks on holy sites of non-Muslims were broadcast on international media that Pakistan is not a safe state for non-Muslims.

To conclude it all, Pakistan is a religious state where people belong to different faiths are mostly living calmly. No religion neither allows nor teaches to be violent against other religions. Instead, there are some other forces that are spreading hate among people for which state needs to act against these culprits. It is also analyzed that every human is created with religion, so the difference of opinion must be with religious ideology not with the individual.

The most important matter which must be considered is that every religion must be integrated in the policy-making process to spread the knowledge in our general public and to aware them of their basic rights as a responsible citizen of the state. To incorporate each state citizen in the policy process, the state needs to implicate societal modification and positive presentation. They are entitled to live with honor by their generous representation in affairs of state. Each individual has the right to claim clear job recruitment to people and the right to authorize land. The state requires controlling the issue of religious radicalism forcefully. Pakistan is very rich in its culture and history so there are numerous religious places of Hindus, Sikh and Christian communities. So, a multi-cultural and multi-religion existence is very important in education, trade and art. It is an obligation to state to guard the phenomenal religious history and cultures of Non-Muslims to provide them a strong and peaceful presence in the State.

“Interfaith harmony encourages the maxim to live and lets others live peacefully”