Zardari calls for interfaith harmony

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has said that need for interfaith understanding and dialogue has never been as great as it is today to frustrate ambitions of those who were predicting clash of civilisations.
The President urged upon the religious leaders of the country to use their influence in neutralising those few elements who in the garb of religious teachings attempt to indoctrinate intolerance in society and manipulate religious sentiments of the innocent believers for their own vested interests. No religion preaches or teaches intolerance and extremism and shedding blood of those who disagree, the President said. Indeed all true religions stress tolerance and coexistence of people of all faiths, he continued.
This he said during his meeting with a delegation of notable ulemas and religious scholar from all parts of the country representing various faiths and sects at Aiwan-e-Sadr Wednesday.
Those who were present during the meeting included Moulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad, Allama Zubair Ahmed Zaheer, Moulana Ghulam Muhammad Silavi, Allama Niaz Hussain Naqvi, Moulana Mohammad Khan Laghari, Moulana Asad Ubaid, Moulana Anwarul Haq Haqqani, Khawaja Wajahat Hussain, Moulana Raghab Hussain Naeemi, Moulana Roohullah Madni, Maulana Mufti Abu Hurera Mohiud Din and others besides Dr Hamilton Interfaith Scholar USA, bishops from Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Faisalabad and religious leaders of Hindu and Sikh communities in Pakistan.
Minister for information, interior minister, minister for minorities, minister for religious affairs, minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs, and spokesperson to the president also attended the meeting.
Briefing the media, spokesperson to the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the President complimented the minister for minorities Shahbaz Bhatti for organising Interfaith Harmony Conference at this crucial moment and said that our great religion teaches its disciples tolerance and respect for the faith of others.
The Holy Quran, the President said, teaches us that Allah created people with divergent views and perspectives and that such diversity was essential for growth of human society. Indeed different perspectives enable us to see the world in different ways. It is natural and part of God's plan, he said. The President said that Muslims and Jews have lived side by side in Madina in early days of Islam.
He said that promoting interfaith harmony requires respect for the views of others and tolerance for plurality. He said that tolerance for plurality and respect for the views of others was part of the culture of democracy and it was our responsibility to promote democratic values and culture as a necessary tool of promoting interfaith harmony.
The President while quoting Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto said that the great leader fought and laid down her life advocating tolerance and dialogue and opposing extremism. He said that the last act of Shaheed leader was to write a book entitled "Reconciliation" in which she rejected the so called clash of civilisations as an attempt "to twist the values of our great and noble religion".
Babar quoted the President as saying that ignoring in the past the consequences of spawning militancy and fundamentalism had not only endangered the rights of minorities but also posed a new threat to the to the very existence of the country.
The President said that rights and privileges of minorities were enshrined in Pakistan's Constitution that gives equal rights to all without any consideration of religion, race or creed. Condolences were made and Fateha was also offered for the victims who lost their lives as a result of Air crash Wednesday morning. -Online