Name of Coordinator: |
Tuba Azeem, Adnan Riaz, Muhammad Abdullah, Pakistan U.S Alumni Network |
Program Date: |
24 – 30 November, 2022 |
Program Title: |
Inter-faith Harmony |
Focus of Program: |
To create inter-faith harmony and appreciate different worship places for a pluralistic society and ultimately for a healthy mind, soul, and community. |
Type of Program: |
Visits to Church, Gurdwara, Madrassa, and informal discussions. |
Who facilitated? |
Tuba Azeem, Adnan Riaz |
Target Audience: |
Madrassa female students and teachers, Representatives of Church, and Gurdwara |
Total Participants: |
40 |
The project involved two-day activities and visits by local madrassa students (Muslim religious school) (Al-Fouzul Azeem Quran Academy, Sector G-13/4, Islamabad) to the local Church (Christ Church,Behind P. C Hotel,Tamis-un-Din Road,Rawalpindi Cantt) and Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) (Sri Panja Sahib, Hassan Abdal, Attock). Students interacted with practitioners and representatives of Sikhism, Islam, and Christianity and discussed mutual knowledge and religious concepts for inter-faith harmony. The primary goal achieved through this project was to expose the local youth to the topics that emphasized diversity and acceptance of differences. On Nov 24th students visited local Church and observed different sections and worship spaces designated at Church, which was followed by an informal and very productive discussion with Father of Church and Senior Project Officer of Christian Study Centre. On Nov 30th representatives of Church visited Madrassa and learned about the curriculum and teaching structure, which was followed by an informal and again very useful discussion with Madrassa teachers and students. Through this activity, we created an opportunity for students to appreciate the efforts and resources of people practicing different faiths in Pakistan and see them as brothers and sisters and empower them at different platforms to profess freely and propagate their religion as well as discourage extremist attitudes. On Nov 30th representatives of Church and Madrassa visited Gurdwara at Hassan Abdal. They received briefing from the management, while students chatted with Gurdwara representatives and surveyed the premises. Through this project we met our primary objective of visualising and theorising for our Madrassa students minority religions in Pakistan and encourage inter-faith dialogue.