The gatekeeping role of teachers – at different levels of education – to inoculate democracy against the threats from extremism, inculcate the democratic values of peace and harmony in youth as leaders of tomorrow, and develop their critical thinking skills as an inherent communal capacity against/ to refute extremist narratives, figured prominently in the discussions among Quetta-based faculty members. Representing different universities across Quetta, the faculty members converged at the Quetta Press Club for the Balochistan Chapter of Paving Pathways to Social Cohesion, an initiative by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).
The Center screened four original short films during the workshop, one each on i) Equality, Diversity and Tolerance Perspectives, ii) Women Rights and Empowerment, iii) Challenges to Peacebuilding, and iv) Rule of Law and Accessible Justice.
In the discussions based on the short-films, the participating faculty members noted that the differences, a difference of understanding, & misunderstandings, if not resolved timely and respectfully, can lead to devastating outcomes. No democracy can be successful without the socio-political ideals like equality, humanity and equal opportunities for all members of the society regardless of their socio-political, ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. The extension of acceptance and respect towards the minorities should not be determined by the choice of majority groups, instead, by the constitution and the milestones like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). We can be born to Muslims or to the believers of any other faith, that’s not our choice, but we do have a choice to deal with the people from different backgrounds respectfully.
“We are making doctors, engineers, and honing and producing other expertise in the society in an effort to respond to the market needs, but are we creating good human beings as something that our society needs?”, questioned participants. So many discriminatory attitudes living in the society are not merely because of religious differences, but happening in the cultural realm; the motivators are varied and diverse, and not necessarily religious. We are all exposed to and taught ethics, but still do not exercise ethical behavior during the course of our interactions in society. Equality is not only religious and constitutional responsibility but also our ethical obligation. Patience and acceptance are the virtues worthy of cultivation as no bigger strength and bravery than patience and acceptance. Our perceptions can be the biggest threat to us or our best opportunity, the choice is ours, what do we want to turn them into?
We must wisely choose our social media celebrities and influencers; followership of a negative influence and source of information can lead to devastating outcomes. Discussion on the challenges to women empowerment doesn’t mean the positive developments are being disregarded. It only calls for the need to respond to and address issues that still jeopardize their empowerment. Empowerment begins at home (the first academy of empowerment) where it should be taught to respect gender differences.
The indiscriminate nature of mob violence says a lot about the mentality and motivators of the unruly crowd of people exercising its use. Religious extremism is a state of mind more than the issue of religious differences. We must work at the grass root level to explain to our younger generation, our future, that everyone is equal human. What media shows us shapes our ideologies in good and bad ways, and critical thinking in the society is very important to prevent any negative influence. Rest of the onus is on opinion multiples to multiply good and nullify negative messages. Disrespect for other cultures & religions may be tolerated in the short run but it backfires badly in the long run; taking devastating toll on social fabric.
Quetta-based senior journalist Shahzada Zulfiqar and human rights lawyer and social activist Jalila Haider also joined the workshop to moderate a panel discussion with faculty members on the issues detrimental to social cohesion and role of faculty members to neutralize the threats of extremism through alternative positive narrative.
