Together we are strong!
The desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden is regrettable and condemnable
The United Nations must ensure respect for the religious sentiments of billions of people who believe in religious books for peace.
Overview
The goal of interfaith harmony is the promotion of common peace teachings
through respect, tolerance, and acceptance of the beliefs of others.
Desecration of the Holy Quran.
The Muslim community in Pakistan is preparing for Muharram after celebrating Eid-ul-Adah, Meanwhile, When Muslims were celebrating Eid-ul-Adah in Sweden, an
atheist burnt the holy book. The incident of desecration filled Muslims all over the
world with grief and anger. Religious parties also protested in Pakistan.
After the Holy Quran was burnt in Sweden, a wave of anxiety and fear spread among the Christians across Pakistan. A post by a religious group was widely shared on social media calling for targeting Pakistani Christians and places of worship.
Pastor Haroon Ajmal of the Church of Pakistan shared this post with me. After which, on my request, a meeting of representatives of Roman Catholic, Protestant, Church of Pakistan, and Pentecostal churches was held in Christ Church at 11 am on Tuesday 4th July 2023. The meeting considered the posts against Christians on social media and a plan for a future response.
In this meeting, it was decided that Christians condemn the desecration of the holy book in the Sweden incident, in order to show solidarity with the Muslim community with condemnation banners, condemnation statements, and, if possible, condemnation rallies will be organized outside the churches. It was jointly decided that protest rallies will be held on Thursday.
The government of Pakistan issued instructions to organize protest rallies in the
entire country regarding the greatness of the Quran on Friday. The members who
attended this meeting decided that by organizing rallies on Thursday, the clear
stand of Christians will be conveyed to the Muslim community and this positive
action will promote religious harmony and inter-faith dialogue in Gujranwala.
It was also decided that in today’s meeting, the strong condemnation of the
burning of the Holy Quran in Sweden should be given effective newspaper coverage
and publicized on social media.
I shared the pictures, written messages, and press coverage of the condemnation
meeting with the leaders of the political, social, and religious parties of the Muslim
community, as well as with the division, district, and senior police officers.
These solidarity messages were appreciated and I received positive responses from
religious, social, and political personalities and representatives from different walks
of life and I received phone calls as well.
In order to implement the decisions of the meeting of 4th July 2023, a condemnation meeting of the Church leaders was held on 6th July 2023 at The RockChurch in Francisabad, Gujranwala, which I had the honor of presiding over.
Representatives of Christian political, social, and religious leaders attended the
meeting and during their respective messages, they strongly condemned the
burning of the Quran in Sweden. Moreover, they termed it as a conspiracy to
destroy the peace of the world. They expressed solidarity with Muslim brothers and
assured their moral support.
It may be mentioned here that the rally could not be held due to inclement weather
however, newspaper clips and messages of condemnation were shared with the
Muslim community. In addition, condemnation rallies were organized in some
areas of Gujranwala.
On Monday, July 10, 2023,
A protest rally was held under the auspices of Ahle-Sunnat wa-ul-Jamaat Hanafi Deobandi, in which I was specially invited to participate. It was an honor for me to represent the views of the Christian community.
During my address to the protesters from different religious groups and almost every walk of life, I expressed solidarity with the Muslim brothers. I mentioned we respect the religious sentiments of the Muslims. The burning of the Sacred Book in Sweden is condemnable. The United Nations must ensure respect for the religious sentiments of billions of people who believe in religious books for peace.
Interfaith Conference on Respecting for Religions and Peace
“Interfaith Conference on Respecting for Religions and Peace” was organized on 18th July 2023 at 10:30 AM in collaboration with Rabata Society and Vital Group of Colleges to convey the importance of Respect for Religions to the academic and general public.
Earlier, a peace rally of college students was also organized. In which teachers, students, and social sector representatives participated.
Sikh leader Sardar Jaskiran Singh Sidhu, Hindu leader Pandit Manhur Lal, Pastor
Aslam Gul, Pastor Mushtaq Ghulam, Pastor Samson, Immanuel Athar, Muhammad
Bilal and other school of thought people participated in the conference. A large
number of women also participated in the conference.
Leaders of different religions emphasized that religions teach to promote peace
and to care for human rights. By respecting religions, the world can become a cradle of peace. And can be achieved through peace, religious harmony, brotherhood, tolerance, peace, and acceptance.
During the conference, Christian, Sikh, Hindu, and Muslim leaders lit the candle of peace. On this occasion, prayers were prayed for peace in Pakistan and love for the dear motherland was expressed.
The participants said that they have seen Christian, Sikh, Hindu, and Muslim leaders together for the first time and the lesson of common teachings of respect religions made an effective impression.
The desecration of the holy book Quran in Sweden and all subsequent efforts made by EPDI Rabata society reflect the commitment that dialogue for interfaith unity and religious harmony in Pakistan is making its own way. There is a need to continue serious efforts. Reconciliation, communication, tolerance, brotherhood , and acceptance are the points at which the world can become a cradle of peace.
At the general level, there is scope to educate people about the philosophy of respect and reverence of religions. From which the educated class wants to benefit.
