HYDERABAD: Spe-akers at a conference on ‘Religious extremism: existential threats to peace and stability’ emphasised the need for changing curriculum to bring it in line with modern day needs to counter religious extremism in all its manifestations.

The conference, organised by the Sindhi Association of North America (Sana) was held in Sindh Museum on Sunday.

One of the speakers said that religious extremism was purely a modern imperialist project like Zionism of the 19th century, and observed that even after the 18th Amendment, the 1973 Constitution was not restored in its totality.

Dr A. H. Nayyar, a physicist, said in his keynote speech that Pakistan witnessed religious fanaticism and sectarianism after [military ruler] General Ziaul Haq talked about Pakistan being a religious state.

He said many religious militant outfits emerged during his regime.

A system based on ethos of tolerance, parity and strict rule of law, could end religious extremism, he said.

Tahira Abdullah, a left-wing women rights activist, was critical of curriculum being taught in schools. She said despite growing demands, Zia’s constitutional amendments seeking Islamisation were not repealed.

She said people were living with different forms of religious militancy to declare others ‘infidels’. “We need to increase diversified activism”, she stressed, and noted that the ‘mujahideen’s syllabus’ was produced by the University of Nebraska in 1979.

She said peace education and ethics should be included in the syllabi.

HRCP’s co-chair and journalist Munizae Jehangir asserted that the formula of ‘military-mullah alliance’ remained unchanged to date. “When Taliban don’t believe in borders, why the state’s solution is limited to borders?” she quipped, wondering where did Ehsanullah Ehsan and those responsible for the Dec 16, 2014 Army Pubic School carnage go.

She observed unless there was an end to ‘deep state policy’, extremism would not end. She said that today people and state were thinking in opposite directions.

Researcher Jami Chan-dio exhorted people to avoid defeatist tone in their discourse as it would mean that they had lost their battle against extremism. “Discourse has considerable power and people need to strengthen progressive and secular politics because fascist forces are always a temporary phenomenon”. Sindh had countered state’s narrative based on lies for seven decades, he said, and added that this province resisted religious extremism and concept of corporate farming.

Sana President Dr Maqbool Halepoto said Sindhis had always been egalitarians in their approach. Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai was the only poet who gave his message through his seven iconic heroines, he said.

Women Action Forum activist Amar Sindhu, Porhiyat Mazhemat Tehreek leader Masroor Shah, Naseer Memon, Comrade Aliya Bukshal and Sindhu Nawaz Ghangro also spoke.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2025