Multan  - Diversity Tour to Worship Places 2013

January 04, 2014, Time:  9 am - 5 pm 

Places: Multan (Church, Mosque,  Temple and Mandir) 

Organizer: Youth Development Foundation (YDF)

Deadline : Dec 14, 2013

The tour will provide an opportunity to participants for visiting different worship places and spend time with their fellow youth to learn more about the diverse beliefs and practices in Pakistan. Participants will explore local diversity and develop new relationships and networks for peace building and interfaith harmony in Pakistan. 

Diverse religious places will be visited as part of this tour. Participants from local communities will spend time at each other place of worship where they will be welcomed by the hosting faith youth and IYA member and given a guided tour of the site. After visiting they will get chance to discuss, sharing and dialogues with hosting faith leaders about the site, faith traditions, symbols, history and commonalities of the particular faith to reduce misconceptions, fake myths by developing healthy relationships for peaceful and prosper Pakistan.
For any question contact: 

* Only for local participants.

Email: iyapk09@gmail.com , ydf.pakistan@gmail.com
Online Registration; https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?fromEmail=true&formkey=dElXYkNwQnhsemlOTjlOU2tNc250eVE6MA

Basic education of women is a fundamental human right. As the key to sustainable development and peace and stability within and among countries, it is an indispensable means for effective participation within the societies and economies of the 21st century.

The program aims to empower underprivileged domestic worker women in post-conflict communities, by teaching them basic writing, reading, and arithmetic skills. They will be taught by youth volunteers from diverse faiths and members of IYA, as a sign of community service, equality, love and tolerance.

Furthermore, capacity-building workshops will be included in the curriculum: one on women´s rights and the other on small business skills. With this program, IYA not only builds women´s capacities and improves their families’ living conditions, but also provides a platform for women of diverse faiths and volunteer teachers from their communities to develop relationships for future collaboration. 20 diverse volunteer teachers from the local community will educate 70 underprivileged women with basic reading, writing, arithmetic and small business skills in six months at two post-conflict communities: Badami Bagh, Joseph Colong Lahore and Gojra, Faisalabad.

Diversity Tour helping to bridge growing gaps among different  religion’s youth in Pakistan by pointing out the commonalities of all faiths and  by fostering interfaith understanding and cooperation, this program created an environment where religious factors are set aside and relationships and partnerships among diverse youth can develop for the peace and development in Pakistan.

On May 26, 2012 Interfaith Youth in Action/World Faith Pakistan and Youth Development Foundation organized bus tour to worship places 
in Lahore where 58 youth members from different religious and faiths have participated to advance interfaith relationship and cooperation.

The tour have provided unique experience and an opportunity to take a visit to worship places and learn more about the beliefs, practices and customs of local faith traditions and to explore local diversity for peace and harmony. Group has visited Churches, Mosque, Baha’i Temple, Hindu Mandir, Sikh Gurdwara in Lahore.

All members welcome by host community youth and briefed by 
their religious leaders followed by Question Answers session regarding their 
faith, traditions, conflicts and history.  By this event I got some friends from Christian, Hindu and  Sikh communities which never happened in my life before. Through this friendship we will contribute in the bridge building process among faiths and try to inspire others as well. (Anila Noor IYA Participant) Baha’I community youth serve refreshment and share material about their faith by visiting their community center at Lahore. 

Through this event we provided safe space to diverse youth for sharing, learning and understanding other faith traditions and realities for reducing misconceptions and advancing relationship building. 
(Shahid Ghouri Founder & Director IYA/WFP)

Youth should get chance to solve ongoing interfaith gaps by practical action with friendly activities instead of Interfaith dialogue seminars and conferences in artificial environments which less effective in Pakistani context.(Fr Ashraf Gill Catholic Youth Director ).

In the end of the day all participants get chance to share their learning and feeling with the group by giving recommendation for future interfaith dialogues as fellow up work.
  
Recommendations:

1.Youth should get chance to utilize his potentials and  creative ideas in interfaith dialogues and ecumenism. (Christian  Participants)

2.Our religious leaders should engage youth to solve ongoing 
religious gaps for peace and development in Pakistan.(Muslim & Hindu 
Participants)

3.Interfaith dialogues cell should be develop at every  educational institution to educate, interact and to develop relations among diverse youth.(All Participants)

Cathedral and Mosque: Interfaith Youth Tour in Pakistan
29th May 2013
Lahore, Pakistan

A Christian-Muslim youth group trip in Lahore before the Sikh place of worship.Photo: Kamran Chaudhry


Last weekend I went with Christian and Muslim students take a trip to five places of worship and memorial sites in and around Lahore, Pakistan, from the "Interfaith Youth in Action" (IYA) / Interfaith Youth in action (IJA) was organized. http://www .iyapk.org / diversity-tour-to-worship-places.html .

In spite of the hot May sun made it fun to learn something of buildings based on history and learn about different religious practices. The leaders in the places answered questions from the Christian and Muslim students - especially with a view to the fact that the places visited in one way or another are from terrorism, which is available in Pakistan affected.

This applies, for example, the cathedral of the "Praying Hands", which was rebuilt after the old church was damaged by a bomb attack on a nearby government building, 2008.Our next stop was the Sacred Heart Cathedral, where Catholics still collect donations to re-insert the stained glass windows dating from the early twentieth century, which were also shaken by the explosion.

It took almost half an hour to pass the checks, so we could go to the "Dear Gurudwara Sahib", around which are erected cement barriers and barbed wire. "Gurdwaras (= prayer and school sites of the Sikhs) are in principle open to all people of all religions 24 hours a day. "Right now, given the current scenario, but not" told us taranjeet Singh, an activist.

The IYA, which started such trips to places of worship of various religions in Pakistan last year, ensures that in the tours as now in Lahore nobody hurts the religious sentiments of other religions. Therefore, "Dear Sahib Gurudwara" towels were also distributed on the tour and all participants were asked to cover their heads before entering the Gurdwara.

Also at the Wazir Khan Mosque from the 17th Century we had to take off our shoes.When some of the participants travel announcing the Muslim afternoon prayer (Asr), I paid 50 rupees, half a dollar to rise up to the 32 meter high minarets corner. The authorities solicit alms from these visitors, in order to restore the dilapidated colorful fresco and decoration of wall and ceiling tiles can. It was difficult to find the knee high up stairs to climb, but reached the top I felt a wonderful peace.

I use to stay in the mosque also to talk to the Christian and Muslim young people in our group on the sectarian violence in the country. All spoke out against terrorism, but the best comment came from a young Christian who wash his face with water while he sat the mosque in the ablution area (wudu): "Those responsible for violence against Christians are people who brainwashed a were subjected; fundamentalists who proclaim that they are the purest and reject other faiths or lifestyles. "

On Friday, May 17, Interfaith Youth in Action (IYA) & DASTAK collaborated to host the first community awareness and sensitization program on the theme of “Ending Domestic Violence against Women.” The purposes of this seminar included:

• Assessing the attitudes and views of community members towards violence against women, and assisting victims escape violence in the communities.
• Creating awareness of existing mechanisms for accountability and prevention of violence against women, and mechanisms created for facilitating access to justice.

Forty-eight women domestic workers, who previously attended the women adult education course organized by IYA, participated in this seminar, and were coached to organize more rights-based programs for their betterment and development in the future.

Source: Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)

Washington DC think tank Atlantic Council held a day of activities at LUMS on Saturday, January 12, 2013, as part of their South Asia Center’s Emerging Leader of Pakistan (ELP) fellowship programme.

The ELP programme takes into consideration the huge population of Pakistan’s youth, and seeks to empower the young leaders of this demographic. Fifteen fellows from diverse backgrounds in Pakistan were chosen for the ELP inaugural fellowship class. Finalists for the programme were also invited to take part in Saturday’s events.

The day began with a training session on conflict resolution, imparted by representatives from the Sustainable Peace and Development Association (SPADO), where participants learned techniques to analyse conflict and create peace through dialogue, discussion, and debate. Later in the afternoon, LUMS Vice Chancellor Adil Najam joined to moderate the public event, Channeling Progress through Pakistan’s Youth. Shikha Bhatnagar, Associate Director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council, welcomed the audience.

Three of the 2012 ELP fellows were on the panel: Imran Khan, Founder of Youth and Gender Development Network; Shahid Rehmat, Founder and Director Interfaith in Action (IYA); and Saba Shaikh, Director of Advocacy and Networking at Dastak Charitable Trust. The fellows spent three weeks in the US, where they visited DC, New York, Atlanta, and San Francisco to gain knowledge from various leaders across the country. They shared their experiences, which ranged from learning about the US Department of Justice’s Office on Violence against Women to visiting the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Shahid Rehmat noted that he was struck by how diverse the United States is and how the country deals with issues that arise from such diversity.

In attendance were many students from LUMS and other universities, LUMS faculty and staff, community members, and representatives from the US Consulate Lahore, including the Consul General Nina Fite. Ms. Fite closed the event with comments on the importance of the ELP fellows’ trip to the US as not only a great opportunity for them to learn about the US, but also for the US to learn about them and Pakistan.

A reception followed for those in attendance to further discuss the many topics brought up in the forum, and provide information for the next set of emerging leaders to apply for the programme.

I wasn’t expecting it – the call that is. I was selected to be a part of the Emerging Leaders of Pakistan (ELP) fellowship program organized by the South Asia Center at Atlantic Council. A lot was happening around me, both professionally and personally. I wanted to do something different and in my own way, I  WAS doing something but wanted to do more. I didn’t know exactly what or how to do it. Looking back at that moment in time, I thank God for the email from my friend informing me about the  fellowship. I readily applied with strong determination and confidence.

The rest of the process went smoothly and in a matter of weeks, I was in the USA for the fellowship. To be honest, I did not know what to expect being the only Christian youth leader among 14 young Muslims. Yet soon we became like family, working together as a joint force of young people to change Pakistan for a better tomorrow. I tried my best to learn from others about their local problems, acquiring first hand information about situations which I had only known about through television and other forms of media. I literally felt at home, on arrival in the U.S., because everyone was just so friendly. All 15 of us fellows, gathered together, willing to know who you were, where you came from, and what you had going in your community and area.

The fellowship was headed and organized by a team of very friendly, professional, and knowledgeable people who saw to it that we were well-cared-for and that the fellowship aims were well communicated to us. I met with different recognized leaders, grassroots and global organizations, journalists, policy makers, human rights activists, technology giants, public figures, and various leaders of the U.S. I tried to learn more about American society, media, NGOs, and political leaders.

During meetings, discussions, trainings, and study tours I learned about local institutes, NGOs and community responses, and their several social, religious and economic issues. I also learned how the other communities and people of different geographical places live with peace, love and harmony as one nation in America and celebrate diversity. Through this fellowship I got the opportunity to meet leaders and international personalities who gave me inspiration to make me stronger in my vision and work. I found Mr. Shuja Nawaz (Director of South Asia Center , Atlantic Council) to be a caring, dedicated and concerned leader who genuinely wants to develop young generation of Pakistan for Pakistan’s progress, prosperity, peace and development. He wants the Pakistani youth to own their time, to stop sitting idly as other people tackled their problems, and to guarantee that all people around us had equal access to care, education, and social and economic needs.

The following words of Shikha Bhatnagar (Associate Director of South Asian Center) still echo in my mind:

“These are the best young leaders from Pakistan who are making things happen”.

It gave me added motivation, new spirit and encouragement that there still are good people who are ready to acknowledge and appreciate our work. Now that I am back in Pakistan, I am missing my group members; the amazing and ever smiling group leader Shikha Bhatnagar with her intelligent and always on point thoughts(!); Azhar who was full of questions but from whom I learned a lot and because of whom I’ll start reading books again; Mehjabeen, the most patient person in the group; Esha, innocent from heart and willing to do something new all the time; Sadiqa , full of determination and passion etc. I miss all of you, really, though thousands of miles apart, I will always be at the forefront to help you and support your initiative.

The amazing energy and positive ideas are what I truly miss.  But I believe that I will not let that enthusiasm die, and I will instead put it to practice – it doesn’t matter how long it will take me. Things may be difficult to implement, especially with no form of support around me, but as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, ‘’Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.’’ I would like to say thanks from the bottom of my heart to the South Asia Center, Atlantic Council for making this journey full of learning, experiences, and exposure to make me a better person and responsible youth leader for the development and progress of Pakistan and beyond. Thanks!

Protest Statement
 
Interfaith Youth in Action (IYA), a network of diverse faith youth and a project of Youth Development Foundation (YDF) and local chapter of World Faith USA founded by Shahid Rehmat, is a non-profit, non-government and secular organization led by young people from diverse faiths and backgrounds in Pakistan. IYA serves as a network of diverse youth to promote pluralism, mutual respect for religious diversity and bridge building among youth of different faiths through interfaith dialogues, need based initiatives, friendly relationship and human based coexistent.
 
With regard to the current incidents related to the hateful slandering of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and Islam in the media or Internet, we members of Interfaith Youth in Action/ World Faith Pakistan around the Pakistan are united in the conviction that no one should humiliate or disrespect the religious beliefs and faiths of the others. We condemn the egregious acts and video intended to defame what the entire Islamic community holds to be unspeakably dear. We are united in our sympathy for fellow Islamic religious believers who have felt so deeply offended.
 
While acknowledging the deep hurt felt by Muslims around the world—we are also rejecting the killing of persons and the destruction of property as a reaction to these offensive acts in Pakistan and around the Islamic world.
 
Recommendations
1.   We condemn this video, which trigger wave of protest and violence around Islamic world; we demand the removal of anti religious material from internet.
2.   We also demand the removal of material deemed hateful in textbooks and an end to the misuse of blasphemy law and forced conversion in Pakistan.
3.   We condemned attacks on churches and demand protection for religious minorities in Pakistan.
4.   We condemn and demand justice for victims, killing of persons and the destruction of property as a reaction to these offensive acts in Pakistan and around the world.