[DAWN] FOR over three decades now, the twin plagues of sectarian terror and religious violence have caused immeasurable harm to Pakistain's social fabric, taking thousands of precious lives and causing evident fissures within society.Two words: Binori Mosque.
Much of the blame for this falls on the state for either promoting ideologies that have nurtured extremism, or for looking the other way as violent actors with unabashedly toxic agendas have caused havoc in society.
Two more words: Lal Masjid.
Indeed debates within and between religions have been taking place for centuries, but in today's Pakistain belonging to the 'wrong' sect or religious group can have dire consequences, thanks to the space provided to krazed killers.
The state has made a few attempts to reverse the tide of intolerance, with mixed results. Among these efforts have been attempts to foster interfaith dialogue along with bringing Islam's different schools of thought together on one platform.
On Tuesday, the federal religious affairs minister organised a conference in Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
which brought together clergy and representatives from different faith groups.
Participants of the event discussed the problems faced by minorities in Pakistain, as well as ideas about how to alleviate these concerns.
Earlier in the week, the minister -- in a written reply to a politician's question in the National Assembly -- said his ministry was taking various steps to tackle sectarianism in the country.
These included forming a committee on sectarian harmony, holding conferences and naat competitions, as well as issuing a uniform azan calendar for all sects to follow in Islamabad.
While all the aforementioned steps may be commendable, it is essential to ask how successful similar efforts have been up until now in tackling intolerance and promoting harmony.
For example, are the warm, positive messages espoused at such interfaith meetups and intra-religious events filtering down to the preacher in the neighbourhood mosque?
For it is here where matters are most sensitive, where loudspeakers can easily be misused to foment trouble and which need to be monitored particularly.