Tag: interfaith harmony

  • New app revolutionises Hajj experience: Pilgrims to benefit from enhanced guidance

    New app revolutionises Hajj experience: Pilgrims to benefit from enhanced guidance

    In a significant move aimed at enhancing the experience of Hajj pilgrims, the Caretaker Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Aneeq Ahmed, announced the launch of a dedicated mobile application during his visit to the New Haji Camp on Saturday.

    The app, unveiled to media representatives, is poised to streamline the journey for pilgrims, offering comprehensive guidance from their Hajj flight to their accommodation in Saudi Arabia.

    Minister Aneeq emphasised that the app will furnish essential information alongside instructional videos to aid pilgrims throughout their sacred journey.

    Among the innovative features, each pilgrim will receive a distinctive single-coloured QR code suitcase, easing the identification of personal belongings.

    Additionally, the government will provide a complimentary mobile SIM card from a Saudi company to every pilgrim, entailing 180 minutes for international calls.

    Notably, the caretaker government has also slashed the price of the official Hajj package by Rs 0.1 million, aiming to make the pilgrimage more accessible.

    Highlighting infrastructural enhancements, Minister Aneeq underscored the renovation of the New Haji Camp premises, coupled with the establishment of a vaccination centre tailored to cater to the needs of Hajj pilgrims.

    Furthermore, the Federal Ministry of Religious Affairs organised the ‘Interfaith Harmony Conference’, extending invitations to ambassadors from 30 nations in a concerted effort to foster global understanding and cooperation.

    In a bid to promote interfaith dialogue and mutual respect, Minister Aneeq outlined various initiatives, including the ‘Interfaith Harmony Dialogue’ held across prominent universities and religious institutions.

    Notably, scholars from diverse religious backgrounds, including Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Hindu, Parsi, and Jain, convened at St. Patrick’s Church, echoing a message of universal humanity and tolerance.

    Concluding his address, Minister Aneeq unveiled plans for the establishment of schools and clinics within mosques, commencing with the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore and slated for nationwide expansion, underscoring the government’s commitment to holistic community development.

    The collective efforts underscored by the Ministry reflect a comprehensive approach towards fostering harmony, facilitating pilgrimage, and promoting inclusivity, marking a pivotal stride towards a more cohesive and enlightened society.

  • City in Sindh goes viral for being ‘super-clean’, where Muslim, Hindu residents clean up together

    A few days ago, Mithi, a city in Sindh, went viral on Twitter for its clean roads and responsible citizens who have kept their surroundings neat.

    “Zero litter or garbage This is one of the streets within Mithi City. The picture is captured at 4:00 PM, after the rush hours. The usual cleaning happens once a day, early in the morning. Now compare it to urban cities Diff in civic sense between Jahil log & parhe likhe log”

    Soon, other residents of the city spoke up and confirmed that the people of this area ensure that Mithi remains clean.

    https://twitter.com/Smahaseghani/status/1631571150458216449?s=20

    Activist and painter Zulkfiqar Bhutto commented that he had also visited Mithi and regarded it as ‘the cleanest city I’ve ever seen in Pakistan’.

    Mithi is a small town located near Tharparker, Sindh, and is also known as the only place where 80% of the population comprises of Hindus.

    The area is known for the strong interfaith harmony between Muslims and Hindus, as Dawn writer Hassan Raza noted that in this town, Muslims will not slaughter cows out of respect for Hindus, and Hindus will not hold any marriage ceremonies or celebrations during the month of Muharram.

    “In our village, Hindus and Muslims have been living together for decades and there has not been a single day, when I have seen a religious conflict. No loud speaker is used for Azaan at the time when Hindus are worshiping in their temple, and no bells are rung when it is time for namaz. Nobody eats in public when it is Ramazan and Holi is played by every member of the village.”

    BBC Urdu also ran a story in 2021 about how in Mithi, both Hindus and Muslims come together to celebrate the Holi festival.

  • Ideas 9 organises event to promote inter-sect harmony

    Ideas 9 organises event to promote inter-sect harmony

    A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Ideas 9, organised a majlis for inter-sect and interfaith harmony by inviting people from different sects.

    Religious scholars narrated the historic events that happened in Karbala.

    Plants were distributed among the participants at the end of the event.

  • Indian jewellery ad slammed for showing Hindu-Muslim couple

    Indian jewellery ad slammed for showing Hindu-Muslim couple

    Popular Indian jewellery brand Tanishq has withdrawn an advertisement featuring an interfaith couple after a right-wing backlash on social media, BBC News has reported.

    Opponents of the adverts argued that the ad, which shows a baby shower organised for the Hindu bride by her Muslim in-laws, promotes “love jihad”, a term radical Hindu groups use to accuse Muslim men of converting Hindu women by marriage.

    The description for the 43-second ad – promoting a jewellery line called ‘Ekatvam‘ (Hindi word for unity) – reads: “She is married into a family that loves her like their own child. Only for her, they go out of their way to celebrate an occasion that they usually don’t. A beautiful confluence of two different religions, traditions and cultures.”

    The ad sparked outrage among a section of conservative social media users who led calls to boycott the brand, taking it to the top of Twitter trends. On the other hand, many joined in to condemn the abusive posts and comments.

    The brand first disabled comments and Likes/Dislikes on the advert, posted to Facebook and YouTube before removing the video altogether. In a statement, the jewellery brand said: “We are deeply saddened with the inadvertent stirring of emotions and withdraw this film keeping in mind the hurt sentiments and well being of our employees, partners and store staff.”

    Congress party MP Shashi Tharoor, who posted the advert to his Twitter account, said: “Hindutva bigots have called for a boycott for highlighting Hindu-Muslim unity through this beautiful ad. If Hindu-Muslim ‘ekatvam‘ irks them so much, why don’t they boycott the longest surviving symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity – India?”

    https://twitter.com/ShashiTharoor/status/1315833504253374464?s=20

    Other prominent personalities also argued that the ad promoted inter-faith harmony and should not have been taken down.

    https://twitter.com/RichaChadha/status/1315906312417415168?s=20

    Read more – Hindu couple gets married at a mosque in India

    Kangana Ranaut, on the other hand, stood with the right-wingers and slammed the ad for promoting love-jihad.

    “As Hindus we need to be absolutely conscious of what these creative terrorists are injecting in to our subconscious, we must scrutinise, debate and evaluate what is the outcome of any perception that is fed to us, this is the only way to save our civilisation,” wrote the actor on social media.

    https://twitter.com/KanganaTeam/status/1315912815509598208?s=20

    Most Indian families still prefer weddings arranged within their religion and caste; and marriages outside these boundaries have sometimes led to violent consequences, including women – sometimes even men – being killed by their relatives.

    According to the India Human Development Survey, only about 5% of all marriages are inter-caste and interfaith couples are even rarer.