Fostering tolerance and mutual understanding will be the key to overcoming turmoil and frictions afflicting the world, Pakistan’s top diplomat in Washington emphasized to an unprecedented gathering of leading interfaith voices.
Speaking at the Iftar event, hosed on the eve Pakistan’s 65th Independence Day at the embassy, Ambassador Sherry Rehman also underlined Islam’s message of moderation and brotherhood and Islamabad’s commitment to Quaid-e-Azam’s ideals of coexistence and mutual respect. The event at the Pakistani embassy was attended by leading Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Muslim religious leaders, with all of them wishing love, peaceful coexistence and understanding as they prayed on the occasion, drawing on humanist teachings common to all faiths.
The religious leaders included Rev. William Aiken, Rev. Dr. Carol Flett, Nepalese ambassador to the United State Shankar Prasad Sharma, Rev. William Sachs, Dr. Rajwant Singh, Rabbi Bruce Lustig, Dr. Mohamed Elsanousi and Imam Majid. In her speech, the Pakistani envoy said at this moment in human history, religion should serve as a binding force for post-modern societies, acting as a moderating, civilizing guide to public and private interactions.
Instead of being hijacked by extremists, “our faiths should be the beacon of hope against crisis and brutality,” she said.
World needs tolerance to overcome divisions: Sherry
