ISLAMABAD, April 20: National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain has advocated introducing interdisciplinary study of religions in the country’s schools and madrassahs to promote inter-faith harmony and tolerance.

“All faiths promote tolerance, brotherhood and service to humanity and differences could be bridged by pursuing comparative study of religions,” he told an interfaith conference held at the National Library auditorium by Tolerance, an NGO, and Tehreek Akhuwat Islami led by Allama Inayat Ali Shakir, here on Thursday.

Ch Amir Hussain arrived a little late to preside the conference which, in his absence, made almost a disastrous start as the display of a saying of the founder of Bahai religion on tolerance in the conference hall infuriated some of the otherwise educated and tolerant participants.

Their shouts for its removal confounded the diplomats who were present in good numbers at the conference. Allama Inayat Ali Shakir tackled the situation by raising religious slogans and reminding the detractors that the aim of the conference was to create harmony and removing misunderstandings among people belonging to different faiths.

Saudi Arabian Ambassador Ali Aseri proposed setting up of non-political institutions to carry on sustainable dialogues on interfaith harmony. A Christian-Muslim dialogue was underway when a few deviant Muslims committed terrorism in the name of religion on September 11, 2001, he recalled.

Canadian High Commissioner David B Collins spoke of skewed perceptions and sectarian feelings in communities. Canada’s Bill of Rights guarantees its citizens freedom of culture and faith in the context of common interests and values, he noted.

Bishop John Malik of Lahore said all religions teach ways for mitigating the sorrows and sufferings of the marginalised class.