Pakistan Council for Social Welfare & Human Rights on Role of Interfaith Peacebuilding

3 August 2016

The Chairman of Pakistan Council for Social Welfare & Human Rights CC, Mr. Muhammad Ijaz Noori, participated in a one-week course on “Peace Building through Community Development” organized by the Canadian School of Peace Building (CSOP) in Winnipeg, Canada. CSOP is part of the Canadian Mennonite University, and is a learning community of diverse peace builders who come together to learn, network, and engage in peace building. Pakistan Council for Social Welfare & Human Rights CC has been a sponsor of the Canadian School of Peace building for several years. 

Mr. Muhammad Ijaz Noori gave the closing address of the course, saying that the power of knowledge and education can eradicate the mindset of terrorism and extremism, adding that unity of humanity and positive education is necessary for sustainable peace and human development, as well as other international challenges.

Interfaith harmony, understanding, and dialogue is critical to eradicating religious conflict for sustainable development and resilient peace to be possible. Mr. Noori strongly condemned bloodshed in the name of religion, explaining that Islam is a religion of love and peace which believes that the murder of an innocent is the murder of the whole of humanity, and that all religions and their followers must be respected. We should collectively strive for durable peace, elimination of terrorism, development, and protection of human rights at every level without any discrimination.

Extremism and terrorism have no room in any good religion, including Islam; terrorists have no religion but terror. There is an ages-long struggle between people who believe in peace, justice, equality, human dignity and people who believe in the war between civilizations and bloodshed, but the former always prevail.