Elahi says sufism carries remedy

Staff Report - Daily Times - Lahore, Pakistan
Thursday, 23 November, 2006

Racism, ethnic hatred, extremism, sectarianism and even terrorism can be eliminated if we stick to the essentials that Sufism teaches us, said Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the International Sufi Conference organised by the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture (PILAC) at the Pearl Continental Hotel, where he was the chief guest on Wednesday, Elahi said the conference was a landmark event, adding that there was no other venue more fitting for a Sufi conference than Lahore. Lahore, he said, had been the abode of Sufis such as Shah Hussain and Baba Guru Nanak Dev Jee, Data Ganj Baksh and Allama Muhammad Iqbal.

He hoped that the scholars who had come to Lahore from around the world would learn more about the city and its rich heritage during their stay. He said that qawali was an integral part of Sufism, which spanned several religions and was aimed at promoting tolerance in society. He said that Islam, being a religion a religion of equality and respect, was practiced in its true essence by the Sufis. He also congratulated PILAC for holding the conference, and hoped that it would go a long way in promoting Sufism and preaching tolerance among all ethnic groups.

Speaking at the occasion, Culture Secretary Taimur Azmat Osman said that the conference was the culmination of a project that had been completed over six months. He said that the conference would now become an annual event, adding that at this conference, delegates from Italy, Malaysia, India, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Kuwait, Iran and Sri Lanka were present.

Pakistan, he said, was represented at the conference by luminaries such as Preishan Khatak, GA Allana, Syed Afzaal Haider, Qazi Javed, Ayub Baloch and Oriya Maqbool Jan. “Through this conference, we intend to initiate debate on the growing trend towards extremism, violence and intolerance in contemporary society,” he said, adding that history showed us that Sufism had always provided a remedy for the unrest and malcontent that plagued societies throughout history.

Malaysian scholar Thomas Philip and Iranian thinker Dr Bahad Hussain also spoke at the occasion. PILAC Director Dr Shaista Nuzhat said that the conference would help people achieve a better understanding of Sufism and its teachings, adding that the subjects debated here would lead to fruitful discourse and hopefully promote harmony, love and peace in contemporary society.

The conference, which began at 7pm, an hour later than scheduled, was plagued by technical difficulties as security personnel struggled to activate metal detectors. This delay inconvenienced both Pakistani and foreign delegates, who were not allowed to enter the conference hall before security checks were completed. A musical evening followed the conference’s proceedings.