Rigid Separation of Genders and Generations Breaks down!
By Dr Amina Hoti
Islamabad, Pakistan
That was a historic event yesterday just before breaking the fast at the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) in Islamabad, Pakistan under the dynamic leadership of the new Pukhtun Chairman DrQiblaAyaz. For Professor Akbar S Ahmed to be invited at the CII - the heart of what many see as conservative ultra orthodox interpretations of Islam which is often imposed on Pakistanis - and for him to speak with empathy and wisdom on women’s rights, respect for minorities, universal ideas of peace and justice as core teaching tools for religious scholars and youth was breaking new ground!
The usually rigid separation of genders and generations broke down in the seating for the lecture and the Iftar dinner afterwards.
In terms of spreading peace and peace building, this interaction between the liberals and conservatives was solid gold: it opened up doors and informed potentially closed mindsets. Senior traditional scholars and heads of military academies said for the first time they found peace building as presented by Professor Ahmed highly engaging and wanted to contribute to this positive dialogue.
This is the key strategy to making the world more peaceful, not by labelling ‘others’ as terrorists or bombing people. The enthusiasm of the capacity audience and the excitement of the women and minorities was a testimony to DrQibla's vision. A friend of mine who is half Pakistani and half French, Amina, told me that she saw a lot of hope in the very fact that the Council invited a renowned peacebuilding scholar like Professor Ahmed.
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