Major population of our nation is youth, so they should take a proactive role in inculcating awareness and enlightenment. The role of youth and religious scholars, including students, in peacemaking and peacekeeping processes has received no recognition. The need for youth activism rose even more when an international university was attacked in the heart of Islamabad, Pakistans capital. Schools, in fact, are the breeding grounds for both war and peace. Through a broad based and liberal schooling experience, conflicts can be averted. Student peace action committees and debating summits should be introduced and courses for conflict management should be incorporated in due course.
Seminaries should be reformed and national education policy should be brought in to discourage racist, extremist and violent tendencies and visualise peace, egalitarianism, pluralism, fraternity, liberty and equality as natural social conditions. Students should be exposed to a variety of viewpoints on historical and ideological matters rather than spoon feeding through a tough, restricted and close fisted approach. This will inculcate in them a trend to be inclusive and receptive rather than being rigid and irreconcilable.
It is the dire need of national and international security that associations for the promotion of interfaith dialogue and harmony should be established to spread the philosophy of coexistence. The true spirit of Jihad should be communicated with close collaboration of Ulema. Peace conventions and fairs should be organised by religious elite. Energies for religious services should be should be streamlined in progressive and enlightening modes. Values of Sufism like self-control, compromise, fraternity and non-alignment forms a traditional assets of Indus Valley region. A symbiosis of religious and cultural traditions like Qawali, Melad, Urs and Naat can serve the purpose.
HUMAYUN IFTIKHAR
Lahore