Diverse City Tours

Tours of Religious sites Provide an Opportunity for Greater Awareness

A diverse team conduct tours of religious sites to raise awareness of the different religions present in Islamabad, giving participants their first glimpse into these communities.

In a country where around 97% of the population is Muslim, and 91% specifically Sunni Muslim, much of the population lack much awareness of other religions – their customs, practices and people.

Led by a religiously diverse team made up of members of the Sunni, Shia and Hindu communities, ‘Be Together’ designed a campaign called ‘Diverse-City Tours’, which gave youth the opportunity to learn from religious and community leaders of minority religions and groups around Islamabad. It did so by taking them on two tours to historic and cultural sites around the city. These sites included a Christian Church, Shia Mosque, Baha’i community centre and the famous ‘Buddha Caves’. During the tours, youth were not only exposed to cultures/religions they would not otherwise encounter but were also actively engaged in dialogue to deconstruct many of the myths and stereotypes that surround them.

45 young people were taken on 2 tours. Photos from the tours can found on the campaign’s dedicated Facebook page. Most of the participants came from the Sunni population, which is the majority in Islamabad and across Pakistan, but also included participants from the minority Shia, Hindu and Sikh communities. Many of these young people noted that they had never interacted with members of other religions before, and some had not even been aware that other religious communities existed in their city.