Malik urged religious and political leaders to stop people from attacking settlements of minorities in the wake of blasphemy allegations against an individual. ILLUSTRATION: FAIZAAN DAWOOD
FAISALABAD:
Speakers at a seminar on the need for peace and harmony urged for bringing an end to inhuman acts against weaker groups such as mob attacks on their residential colonies.
The seminar titled Humanity in Harmony was organised on Thursday by the Peace and Human Development Foundation (PHDF) in collaboration with the Christian Study Centre (CSC), CARE Foundation and the Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM).
Baba Najmi, Dr Gul Pervaiz Akhter Ghauri, and Dr Aftab recited their poetry on the topic. Other speakers included social workers and politicians.
CSC’s Project Manager Fahmida Saleem said that community leaders played a critical role in promoting inter-faith dialogue and religious harmony. She said that peace was threatened only when a social conflict was transformed into a religious one by some intolerant elements. The anti-peace elements, she said, were cowards because “only cowards justify attacks on innocent people in the name of religion”.
She said all prophets and saints had taught harmony and peace.
PHDF Director Suneel Malik said that a culture of peace could emerge only if followers of different faiths did their utmost to understand and accept one another.
“No one has the right to take law in their hands,” he said.
Malik urged religious and political leaders to stop people from attacking settlements of minorities in the wake of blasphemy allegations against an individual. He said the blasphemy law must not be misused and that the accusers must be punished when their allegations were proven false.
Allama Riaz Ahmed Sharifi said it was the right of all human beings to reject oppression and condemn oppressors.
He said, “We must seek knowledge that teaches us tolerance and deference for humanity.”
Maulana Abdul Rasheed Abbasi said that violence against non-Muslims, children and women was prohibited in Islam.
Rai Shehyar said that the Joseph Colony attack in Lahore had damaged Pakistan’s image in the world. He hoped that such an incident would not occur again.
Chaudhry Ashfaq Gujjar said that churches were as unsafe today as imam bargahs, mosques and other places of worship.
AWAM Executive Secretary Naseem Anthony said that blasphemers must be brought to justice, but resort to violence against minority communities was not justified in any situation. He said blasphemy cases must be probed fairly with “a cool and open mind”.
AWAM Coordinator Shazia George said that government must take strong measures to prevent propagation of hate speeches.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 5th, 2013.
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