Sectarianism seen as conspiracy against nation

Moot organised to determine avenues for promotion of sectarian harmony

LAHORE: Maulana Israr Madni of Darul Uloom Haqqania said on Wednesday that they were more commonalities between Muslim sects then differences.

The religious scholar made the remarks at a consultative dialogue convened at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) to ascertain avenues for the promotion of peace and harmony among various sects.

He said efforts should be made to emphasise the commonalities to promote sectarian harmony. Madni said several books penned by Shia and Barelvi authors were being taught across Deobandi seminaries nationwide. He said this showed that there was a consensus among all Muslim schools of jurisprudence on a great number of issues.

Academic Mohsin Naqvi said it was commonplace for individuals to learn from religious scholars of a different sect. He said most of the differences that existed today were politically motivated.

The speakers at the moot said the prevailing sectarian disharmony was rooted in politics. They said it was a conspiracy against the nation. The speakers emphatically rapped foreign meddling in this regard saying that the nation was being used to fuel proxy wars in the region. They praised the efforts of the HRCP with regard to checking sectarianism and suggested a myriad of recommendations to eradicate the menace and promote religious harmony.

Some of the recommendations presented at the moot included making mainstream education compulsory for aspiring religious scholars; strong action by the state to prevent the proliferation of hate speech and literature; ensuring absolute religious freedom; an end to foreign meddling in the nation’s internal affairs; fostering harmony among students of different religious schools by facilitating exchanges; auditing religious institutions and promoting research on topics that cement sectarian harmony.

Over 40 religious scholars and academics from places across the nation including Lahore, Karachi, Multan, Quetta, Peshawar, Akora Khattak, Karak, Kurram and Khyber agencies were present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1^st, 2015.