Inclusive approach is crucial to drive social change
Bahawalpur – Speakers at a workshop said an inclusive approach was fundamental to driving social change because it provided equal opportunities to all people belonging to diverse cultures, faiths, ethnicities and languages in a society.
They further said diversity could help decrease the growing trends of extremism in the society by fostering inclusivity, tolerance and acceptance.
Experts belonging to academia, media and the legal profession made these remarks at a two-day national workshop titled ‘Building Bridges: Fostering Tolerance and Inclusivity among Youth’, held at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB).
Students of local universities, colleges and religious seminaries participated in the event organized by Islamabad-based think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS).
Dr Qibla Ayaz, a member of the Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court, said at a panel discussion that promoting diversity would bring inclusivity and acceptance within Pakistani society, helping to move the country forward. Underlining that the creation of Pakistan was based on religion, he said all groups would now have to accept diversity in the society for the stability and unity of the country. He viewed that the subject of ‘Studies of Religions’ should be introduced in the curriculum instead of teaching the topic of ‘Comparative Studies of Religions’ – a move that could promote inclusivity in the society.
Talking about the ‘Paigham-i-Pakistan,’ a consensus Islamic decree issued in 2018 to counter extremism and terrorism, Ayaz said the document had at least prevented those youth and students of religious seminaries, who were on the borderline, from being pushed into extremism. “Before this, terrorism was being carried out on the basis of a religious narrative,” the former chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology added.
Professor Zia ur Rehman, chairman of the Department of Qur’ānic Studies at the IUB, said supremacy based on colour, ethnicity and language led to extremism in the society, ultimately resulting in terrorism. “It is not necessary that we always talk on divisive issues,” he added. He further said Pakistan had a diverse society in terms of culture and faith, noting that everyone would have to play their role in protecting and promoting this diversity.
Columnist and blogger Farnood Alam stated that an inclusive approach was necessary to drive social change. “The notion that diversity is creating divisions and conflicts within the society is wrong,” he said, adding that diversity is the recipe for peace. “It is the way to bring peace in society without resorting to violence,” he remarked.
Human rights activist and lawyer Dileep Doshi explained how important it was to understand and preserve the cultural, ethnic, linguistic and religious diversities of Pakistan. “The time demands that we accept others while protecting our own culture, language, ethnicity and faith,” he said, adding that we must embrace diversity to avoid prejudice and rigidity
Journalist and trainer Imran Mukhtar in his session delved into the relationship between constitution, parliament and citizenship. He explained what fundamental rights the Constitution of Pakistan guaranteed to its citizens and what responsibilities it assigned to them. “We didn’t implement the principle of the ‘trichotomy of powers,’ as adopted by the Constitution, among the three organs of the state in letter and spirit,” he said. This is the main reason the country remains a quasi-democracy with structural problems in its governance, he noted.
PIPS President Muhammad Amir Rana said inclusivity was a process that provided equal opportunities to all groups in a society. He urged the youth to enhance their interactions in the society with people belonging to different cultures, faiths, ethnicities and languages to broaden their worldview and foster peace.
“Our inherent fears prevent us from interacting with others, leading to conflicts within the society,” Rana said, adding that Pakistan needs a new social contract. “A multicultural, inclusive and accommodative society will make progress,” he said, noting that youth shouldn’t give any space to hatred in their lives.