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.