Faith Matters successful October visit to Lahore Pakistan.

Faith Matters meeting with Pakistan’s State Minister of National Harmony, Mr A. Gill.

Faith Matters 'Pakistan Project' Manager Mr Rehman Anwer
in talks with Mr A.Gill.

The Minister of State for National Harmony, Akram Masih Gill, met with the staff of Faith Matters on Saturday October 22, 2011 in Lahore to support our efforts to bring peace and stability in Pakistan through our inter-faith dialogue sessions. The Minister was extremely encouraged by the work of Faith Matters in Pakistan, and suggested that we should try and expand our interfaith programme so that it becomes part of the national agenda of building stronger communities, and developing the country.

The Ministry of National Harmony has taken the place of the former Ministry of Minority Affairs. The name change is symbolic of the recognition that the safety and wellbeing of minority communities is integral to the stability and harmony of the nation as a whole.


Faith Matters meeting with distinguished figure of inter-faith action, Father Francis Nadeem.

The Faith Matters Team recently met with Fr. Francis Nadeem of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lahore and the co-ordinator of the National Council for Interfaith Dialogue (NCID) with the aim of securing his support for our work in Pakistan and to build the relationship between the NCID and Faith Matters.

Faith Matters 'Pakistan Project' Manager Mr Rehman Anwer with
Father Francis.

Both organisations are passionately committed to building dialogue between the Muslim and Christian communities of Pakistan, with the aim of spreading peace and tolerance. Father Francis has expressed his concern over the lack of official recognition of the contributions of the Christian communities to Pakistan. The lack of education and awareness about these contributions exacerbates the already unacceptable level of discrimination and marginalisation faced by minority communities.

Both organisations share the belief that it is through the development and progress of the country, that peace and harmony can finally be brought about. It is our objective for the future that the NCID and Faith Matters can join forces on programmes to help achieve our shared aims of Interfaith harmony and a democratic future for Pakistan, irrespective of personal religious beliefs. This was the vision of the founding father of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the very principles that Pakistan was built on.

Faith Matters rewarding visit to Green Field School.

Faith Matters 'Pakistan Project' Manager Mr Rehman Anwer with Green
Field School Staff and pupils.

The Faith Matters team organized an interfaith workshop at Green Field School, Lahore on the 21st of October, 2011. The aim of the workshop was to promote the significance of interfaith harmony and the part it should play in the education of young people. It is a topic that is currently missing from school syllabuses, despite the important role religious tolerance and dialogue plays in peace building. In order to counter-act the marginalisation of religious minorities.

Faith Matters supports the inclusion of information about the Christian and other minority faith communities of Pakistan in school textbooks. It is through working at a grass roots level, and holding workshops like this one, that Faith Matters is able to speak to the youth directly and spread our message of peace and stability for the future.

Faith Matters Team.