If we take parts of other cultures and amalgamate them into our own, we will evolve as a society.
LAHORE: This is with reference to coverage in your newspaper on a rally held this past week in Lahore by various religious parties, where some participants said that they were willing to pay Rs100 million to purchase the weapon used by Mumtaz Qadri to kill Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer.
It seems that a culture of intolerance has become a defining feature of Pakistani society. While other countries and societies are progressing and developing cultures that place a premium on diversity and tolerance, we seem to be headed in the opposite direction.
Instead of arguing that we should insulate and isolate ourselves from the rest of the world, we need to adapt and take those aspects of other cultures that are beneficial for us. Rejecting another culture simply because it is, say, ‘western’ or ‘foreign’ is a reactionary response and not in our own interest.
If we take parts of other cultures and amalgamate them into our own, we will evolve as a society. This has been done quite successfully in India and several other developing countries.
Muhammad Shehroz Hiraj
Published in The Express Tribune, January 8th, 2012.
