It was an honour to visit The Institute of Strategic Studies (ISSI) in Islamabad. A prestigious research and analysis centre, its aim is to promote an informed public understanding of strategic and related issues affecting international and regional security. As a writer, an interfaith activist, and educationalist, I was invited to offer a session, entitled Challenging Extremism; Promoting Inter-cultural & Interfaith Dialogue Through Literature.
I was hosted by the Director General of ISSI, Ambassador Masood Ahmed Khan. A highly skilled man with fantastic credentials in the field of diplomacy, he has held many prestigious chairmanships on the international scene as a diplomat, and has done Pakistan proud. His two most recent posts were as Ambassador to China, and Pakistan’s representative to the United Nations. I am also delighted that he and his wife are fans of my work.
It was a select gathering of professors, ambassadors, researchers, and writers, as well as the talented and high calibre ISSI in-house team. Somewhat different in format from my other literary sessions at the universities in Pakistan, it proved to be a pleasant experience; very interactive, and with plenty of two-way dialogue with the audience. Ambassador Masood Khan, who chaired the session, gave the participants ample opportunities to make lengthy observations, comments, and suggestions, including providing me with a list of some books that I should read next, such as the work of a famous Jewish philosopher.
I discussed my active interfaith work, as a trustee of Manchester Multi-Faith Centre, a Vice Chair of Faith Network 4 Manchester, and as an executive member of the Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester to promote better understanding between different faith groups and communities. I shared my dismay and experience of tackling extremism within the Muslim community, and the reality of living as a Muslim in the West since September 11th, with Islam being constantly demonised and the outrage felt by the Muslims at the evil monstrosity of Daesh (the Islamic State).
I was very glad to talk about our exciting and collaborative work with the New York Foundation For Ethnic Understanding (FFEU) and its Twinning Project: We Refuse To Be Enemies; Spread Hummus, Not Hate, the British Police’s initiative, #We Stand Together, and the Muslim Engagement & Development (MEND) project. All have the same remit; to tackle hatred, challenge Islamophobia, anti-Muslim hatred, anti-Semitism, and to promote community cohesion and better relationships between different minority and faith groups. In current times, there is no room for silence, divisions or apathy.
It was natural, as I was speaking in Pakistan, that a lively discussion would ensue, particularly when focusing on my strong relationships with both the Jewish and the Indian communities in Manchester. I was not afraid to speak up. I mentioned that my favourite professor at my first university was a Jewish man, Lou Khusnick; a former Director of Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust in Manchester, who has devoted all his life to challenging racism and working with different communities. His wife, Patricia, is a dear friend, with whom I have shared the same staff room for over a decade. Their son, Jonathan, was my lawyer. I spoke about my Jewish and Muslim friends, June, Amin, Tahara, and Heather, with whom I visited the concentration camps in Auschwitz, and a story that I had written, Train to Krakow, about the holocaust.
Equally fervently, I talked about my dear Indian Hindu and Muslim friends in India, such as, Shri P.R. Krishna Kumar, the Managing Director of Arya Vaidya Pharmacy in Coimbatore, and his family, and Professor Abdur Rahim Kidwai and his team at Aligarh Muslim University. Also, my Indian neighbour, Shashi Pandey in Manchester, who is like a sister to me. So, the legendary animosity between Pakistan and India, as beefed up by the politicians on both sides, has little bearing on my life. On the contrary, my personal experiences (apart from getting the visa) of three literary tours to India (having taken part in Jaipur, and the Lucknow Literature Festival, Kolkata, and the Kochi DC International Book Fair), have all been very positive. I was honoured by the CEO of DC Books, Mr. Ravi Deecee, to become the chief guest at the DC Book Fair, where I launched the Malayalam version of my novel, Typhoon, and was asked to light the first diva for the inaugural ceremony. Literature and personal friendships, indeed, unite people. Writers, like other professionals, can, and do, become ambassadors of good will, promoting peace and better relationships between countries and other communities.
I read a short scene from my latest novel, Revolt, exploring the theme of extremism that is depicted by a mother’s horror and helplessness at finding that her son has become a terrorist. In order to celebrate the national language of Pakistan, and the Urdu version of my novel, The Holy Woman, I read a short poignant scene between Zarri Bano and her mother. This provided me with an opportunity to practise my rusty Urdu. Although there was some light-hearted teasing for me to repeat a word that I had mispronounced, according to the Director General, I had ‘passed’ my reading test in Urdu, and I was glad to hear it!
I was taken on a tour of the building, met some of the research team, and was most impressed by the large library. I contributed a handful of my books for their collection, including the academic text book on my work, The Holy & the Unholy: Critical Essays on Qaisra Shahraz’s Fiction. Ambassador Khan opted for a personal copy of the German textbook, Many Voices of English, which includes my widely read and popular story, A Pair of Jeans, that is studied in German and English schools.
My visit was very well arranged by Mr. Khurshid Anwar, head of the ISSI administration team. I was treated to marvellous hospitality, including my stay at the very comfortable Avari Express Hotel. Dinshaw Avari, the head of the Avari hotel chain, whom I had the pleasure of previously meeting during the Karachi Literature Festival, personally called in the morning to offer me a warm welcome.
Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable visit, with a warm invitation for future involvement in the important work of the Institute of Strategic Studies, and to contribute to the ISSI Quarterly Journal.
http://www.muslimjewish.org.uk/About-us/Qaisra-Shahraz-literature-brings-cultures-together.html
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india/books-make-education-meaningful-quisra-shahraz-442134.html
http://isahitya.com/index.php/77-special-articles/237-jaipur-literature-festival-2012
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