March 26, 2019: CODE PAKISTAN held a consultation on countering violent extremis at Jamia Junaidia Ghafooria Peshawar today. Team CODE PAKISTAN gave a comprehensive presentation on the importance of peace, tolerance, inclusivity, and acceptance of diversity according to Islamic teachings at the madrassah, which was followed by a general discussion among the around 50 participants of the discussion, including students and faculty members of the Jamia Junaidia Ghafooria. The students of Jamia Junaidia Ghafooria actively participated in the discussion and highlighted the need for such events at other madrassahs and other educational institutions. They said that such events could be jointly held with the students of mainstream educational institutions and students of madrassahs of various Wafaqs. The students of Jamia Junaidia acknowledged the need for greater inter-madrassah and university-madrassah and college-madrassah interactions through a range of activities, such as dialogues, sports competitions, etc. They also shared that they felt the need for trainings in modern languages, such as English and learning about peaceful coexistence and tolerance for diversity of opinion.
The consultation was attended, among other notable faculty members of the madrassah, by Maulana Ehsanullah Junaidi, Maulana Shahidullah Junaidi, and Maulana Iftikhar Junaidi. Maulana Ehsanullah Junaidi appreciated the efforts of CODE PAKISTAN for the promotion of peace, tolerance, and inclusivity in Pakistan, especially its efforts at countering violent extremism and promoting inter-sectarian harmony. It needs to be remembered that Jamia Junaidia Ghafooria is headed by former Senator Maulana Abdul Malik and the current Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Peer Noor-ul-Haq Qadri is the patron of Jamia Junaidia Ghafooria.