- Advertisement -
ISLAMABAD, Dec 02 (APP): Government College University in Faisalabad (GCUF) organized an enlightening seminar titled “Countering Extremist Ideologies in Pakistan through Sufism and/or Interfaith Harmony,” aiming to explore how the diverse spiritual traditions of the subcontinent might contribute to establish peace, religious harmony, coexistence, and social structure.
The seminar was organized by the Chairman and Faculty of the Department of History, with Dr Mazhar Abbas serving as moderator. Prof. Dr Asim Mehmood, in charge of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, attended the session as the Chief Guest. Famous researchers, faculty members, and students were also presented.
Among the keynote speakers were Professor Dr Tanvir Anjum from Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad and Dr Tarunjit Singh Butalia from Ohio State University in the United States of America. Prof. Anjum delivered a talk that was very well received, and it was titled “Competing Narratives of Love and Fear: Silencing of Inclusivist Sufi Discourse in the National Narrative in Pakistan.” On the other hand, Dr Butalia focused on “Revelation and Reasoning: Al-Ghazali’s Sufi Understanding and Sikh Faith.”
Both speakers delivered talks that were thought-provoking and engaging, underscoring the lasting significance of Sufi teachings and interfaith dialogue in combating contemporary extremist narratives, particularly in Pakistan, and more generally in other societies.