Living in peace: Religious leaders urge interfaith dialogue, removal of hate material

Say two-step approach essential to combat extremism.

PESHAWAR: Religious leaders stressed on the need for interfaith dialogue to promote harmony and counter extremism in the country.

Prominent figures from different faiths participated in a panel discussion on the ‘Role of religious leaders in promoting peace’. The event was held by the Right of Expression, Assembly, Association and Thought (REAT) network at a local hotel on Wednesday.

The discussion was attended by religious and community leaders including former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) social welfare minister Qari Rohullah Madani, Charanjeet Singh, Haroon Sarabdiyal, Ahmad Raza Alvi and Peace Education and Development Foundation (PEAD) Executive Director Sameena Imtiaz.

The participants stressed on the need for more interaction between leaders of various religions and recommended interfaith dialogues at mosques, churches and temples to promote peace and social cohesion.

They said a two-step approach was necessary to combat extremism. This, community leaders said, involved the removal of hate material and curriculum reforms as well as the promotion of interfaith harmony at places of worship. One of the participants stressed on the need to include minority representatives in the process of curriculum reforms.

Madani said Muslim religious scholars must use Friday prayer sermons as an opportunity to promote peace by highlighting Islamic practices. He said in order to stop the abuse of the blasphemy law; clerics must inform people of the punishment for falsely accusing a person.

Representatives of minorities criticised the government for turning a blind eye to their genuine grievances. They stressed that effective implementation of existing laws was vital to end discrimination in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th, 2015.