Islamabad – PR: A new study by Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) has found a disturbing upward trend in religious extremism in Pakistan, though terrorism incidents have declined over the past years. The study noted that religious extremism is a persistent threat to social cohesion, political stability, internal security, and economy, and it … Read more
Karachi – PR: Speaking at an interfaith harmony workshop in Karachi, senior journalists said reporting priorities in Pakistan media industry are dictated by commercial interests rather than human rights or public good. In a session on marginalized communities and the media’s role, the speakers said the media is the new big industry where a news … Read more
PR –KARACHI: Speakers at a national workshop on interfaith harmony said it was not the business of the state to regulate the religious beliefs of the citizens. In Pakistan, attempts were made in the past to manufacture a religiously homogenous nation out of a huge diversity of faiths. Those policies only created social discord and … Read more
QUETTA – PR: Speakers at a workshop said policies in the past decades were responsible for the progressive radicalization of the society. Decades of mental conditioning through education, ideological indoctrination, and other means has led to faith-based polarization and anti-minority hostility in Pakistan. In the contemporary environment, members of minority religious groups find it hard … Read more
QUETTA PR – Speakers at a workshop said religious minorities have faced persecution in Balochistan for long but their plight has never been a priority for the mainstream media. Commercial interests, external pressures, as well as restrictions determine the media’s behavior towards the issues of minorities. Senior journalist and PFUJ president, Shahzada Zulfiqar, said journalists … Read more
PR – Sukkur: Renowned religious scholar of the Jamia Binoria, Maulana Muhammad Ahmed Yousaf Binori, said that vigilantism on the basis of faith is unacceptable. Neither the Islamic Shariah nor the legal system allow an individual citizen to become vigilante and punish someone. Pakistan’s legal system has detailed provisions to tackle crimes of various … Read more
PR – Sargodha: A two-day educational and training workshop on interfaith harmony in Pakistan was held at the University of Sargodha on March 2nd and 3rd. Eminent scholars, writers, and journalists including Dr. Qibla Ayaz, chairperson Council of Islamic Ideology, Muhammad Amir Rana, security analyst and author, Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed, VC University of Sargodha, Sabookh … Read more
PR – D.I. Khan: As a member of the global community, Pakistan is signatory to international treaties and declarations including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and as such the citizens in general and the youth in particular should know what their country’s international obligations are. These views were expressed by security analyst, Muhammad … Read more
PR – Swat: Individual thinking processes impact not only individual behaviors but also dictate the broader societal outlook and behavior. And unfortunately, thinking patterns are often fed, among other things, by long-held social biases that tend to paint a generalized picture of a religious or ethnic group. These views were expressed by noted columnist, Muhammad … Read more
Abbottabad (PR) – Scholars at a ‘Youth for Interfaith Harmony’ workshop said that in Pakistan religious and cultural diversities have often been viewed as threats to social cohesion. In the pursuit of national unity, diversity was dismissed as politically undesirable and religious, ethnic, and cultural differences were downplayed for the supposedly greater cause of singular … Read more