Balochistan Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani has called upon religious leaders to play a role in eradicating religious extremism and sectarianism by promoting religious harmony and tolerance. Addressing the inaugural session of the provincial Ulema and Mashahik Convocation on Tuesday, he said the Islamic world was confronted with extremely dire problems in all domains of life. The state of the Muslim Ummah, he said, needed to be reformed in order to grapple with the challenges of the modern era. “We need to fight the existing challenges faced by the Muslim world. Our enemy is not external but it lies within us. We need to fight it. It is important for the Muslims to create unity in their own ranks and act for the eradication of religious intolerance and extremism,” he said. He urged the religious scholars to teach peace, patience and tolerance in their Friday sermons. There is an urgent need for a united and tolerant Muslim society for development and prosperity of the Muslims, he added. The governor said Islam was a religion of peace and utterly spurned violence. “It is you people who can convince the world that Islam abhors violence and preaches love, brotherhood, tolerance and respect for every being,” he said.
The convocation was also addressed by leading religious scholars. All the speakers agreed that Muslims were currently facing their worst days and they need to unite to regain their lost glory.