27 Oct Youth engagement key to countering extremism, protecting minority rights
Islamabad—Experts at a consultation called for integrating youth engagement into public policy to counter rising extremism in society and safeguard the rights of minority groups.
They said the Constitution of Pakistan explicitly ensured rights of religious minorities, stressing that changes in the policy were required to ensure effective implementation of constitutional and legal guarantees for unprivileged and vulnerable groups.
These views were expressed at a discussion titled ‘Building Bridges: A Stakeholder Consultation on Tolerance and Inclusivity’, organized by the Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) at a local hotel.
Politicians, academics, religious scholars, journalists, members of minority communities and civil society representatives took part in the dialogue. It brought together key stakeholders to identify challenges related to religious intolerance and discrimination, share best practices for fostering social harmony and interfaith dialogue, and develop collaborative strategies to build a more inclusive society.
Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Allama Raghib Hussain Naeemi urged for involving civil society organizations for peacebuilding in society. He said they should learn to tolerate the difference of opinion. He noted there were gaps at the public policy level to deal with religious seminaries, causing harm to inter-faith harmony. “There is a need to mobilize religious institutions to protect the rights of minorities,” he said, adding that they stood by minority communities whenever they were treated unfairly.
Professor Dr Shabana Fayyaz of the Quaid-i-Azam University talked about youth engagement, saying that increased exposure in the age of social media was radicalizing them in many cases. “Promoting critical thinking among youth is key to reducing extremism,” she said. They should be sensitized through engagement, she added.
Dr Nadeem Abbas, member of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony’s Apex Committee on Social Media, said they would have to understand the difference between criticism and blasphemy. He said 90 per cent of the blasphemy complaints received by the committee were against Muslims, not members of religious minority groups.
Dr Khadim Hussain, senior leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), said they should accept and celebrate all religious, ethnic and linguistic diversities living in Pakistan. “Oneness is the problem,” he said. He called for inter-civil society collaboration to promote pluralism in society.
Barrister Salar Ali Kiani of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said there was poor implementation of those laws that protected rights of minorities. Ahmad Raza Kayani, Coordinator to the Punjab Chief Minister in Islamabad, said unemployment was creating anxiety among youth, making them vulnerable to extremism.
Zainab Qureshi, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Deputy Information Secretary, Rawalpindi Division, said youth should be included in policy-making dialogues aimed at reducing extremism and promoting peaceful coexistence in society. “Instead of encouraging youth to join mobs, they should be engaged,” she said.
Dr Sarwat Rauf of the Department of Peace & Conflict Studies at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) said understating one another’s perspectives was crucial to resolving conflicts in society. “Addressing critical questions is key to achieving peace,” she said.
Mehrdad Yousuf, former civil servant and representative of the Baha’i community, demanded the removal of hate material from the curriculum. Hashir Abbasi of the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba called for providing youth with platforms for engagement and urged the revival of student unions in educational institutions.
Dr Khalid Masud, ad hoc member of the Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court, said Islam as a religion celebrated disagreement or difference. “Islam means integrity,” he said while winding up the discussion. The concept of integration meant including everyone and taking everyone along, he said. He underlined that economic and social factors were involved behind most of the cases of blasphemy.