JRCLS Pakistan Chapter and HRCP Host Symposium on Advancing Religious Freedom Through Education

The Pakistan Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, in collaboration with the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, organized a symposium titled “Advancing Religious Freedom Through Education: Emerging Challenges, Opportunities and Responses” at the HRCP Secretariat in Lahore on 18 June 2026. The event brought together lawyers, human rights advocates, academics, educationists, civil society leaders and students for a timely conversation on how religious freedom can be strengthened through classrooms, curricula, digital spaces and public dialogue.

The symposium opened with remarks by Dr. Sikander Ahmed Shah, Chair of the Pakistan Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society. Welcoming the participants and panelists, Dr. Shah explained that the event was rooted in the Society’s broader commitment to religious freedom, service to vulnerable communities, and the rule of law. He emphasized that religious tolerance is not simply inherited, but learned and shaped through institutions, everyday interactions and social environments. In particular, he identified two spaces as especially powerful in forming attitudes: the classroom and the screen. While classrooms can teach dignity, empathy and coexistence, they can also reproduce prejudice through curricula and teaching practices. Similarly, digital platforms can build bridges across communities, but may also amplify hate speech, misinformation and harassment. Dr. Shah therefore framed the symposium as a constructive and forward-looking discussion on how education and digital spaces can be transformed into forces for coexistence rather than intolerance.

This was followed by an opening address by Adam Christopher Channer, Asia Area Chair of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society. Mr. Channer introduced the ethos and global mission of the Society, describing it as an international association of lawyers, judges, law graduates and law students committed to religious freedom, public service and the rule of law. He highlighted the Society’s multi-faith character and its work across jurisdictions to promote fairness, virtue, constitutionalism and service to vulnerable communities. He also encouraged lawyers, students and professionals in Pakistan to become involved in the Society’s work, noting that religious freedom is protected not only through legal institutions, but also through dialogue, fellowship and sustained community engagement.

The keynote address was delivered by Hina Jilani, human rights activist and Advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan. Ms. Jilani reflected on the continuing gap between Pakistan’s constitutional guarantees and their implementation in practice. She observed that although Article 20 of the Constitution protects freedom of religion and minority rights, religious freedom in Pakistan remains undermined by discriminatory policies, social attitudes and weak enforcement. She argued that certain legislative and policy choices, particularly those developed during General Zia-ul-Haq’s era, contributed to a sense of religious superiority among the majority population and shaped discriminatory attitudes towards minorities. She further criticized the failure to fully implement judicial directions intended to protect minority communities, including those issued in the landmark 19 June 2014 judgment authored by former Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani.

Ms. Jilani placed particular emphasis on prevention through education. She warned that intolerance must be addressed before it hardens into discrimination or violence, and stressed that education must become a source of constitutional understanding, empathy and social responsibility. She also noted that the Constitution is not taught in schools in a meaningful manner, despite its centrality to rights, citizenship and equality. Her address underscored that religious freedom cannot be secured only through courts and legislation; it must also be cultivated through education, interfaith interaction and social reform.

The keynote was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Sikander Ahmed Shah on the theme “Shaping Attitudes: Education, Digital Spaces, and Religious (In)Tolerance.” The panel featured Neelam Hussain, founder and executive coordinator of Simorgh Women’s Resource and Publication Centre; Shahid Rehmat, founder and executive director of Youth Development Foundation; Dr. Sara Rizvi Jafree, Associate Professor at Forman Christian College University; and Peter Jacob, Executive Director of the Centre for Social Justice.

The panel explored how attitudes towards religious difference are formed, sustained and challenged. Neelam Hussain drew on her long experience in education and feminist publishing to argue that teachers and textbooks are never neutral. She reflected on how classroom culture, curriculum design and inherited social assumptions can shape how children understand those of different faiths. Shahid Rehmat discussed the role of youth engagement, interfaith dialogue and technology in countering intolerance. He highlighted technology-based interventions, including tools designed to detect hate speech and discriminatory language in educational content and online spaces. Dr. Sara Rizvi Jafree examined the relationship between digital spaces, child protection and social exclusion, noting that online abuse and misinformation can deepen the vulnerability of minority communities and carry serious mental health consequences. Peter Jacob focused on constitutional protections, curriculum reform and the importance of ensuring that no child is compelled to receive religious instruction unrelated to their own faith.

Across the discussion, the speakers agreed that religious freedom in Pakistan requires more than formal constitutional guarantees. It demands meaningful implementation, inclusive education, teacher training, curriculum reform, stronger accountability and safer digital spaces. The symposium closed with a shared recognition that classrooms and online platforms are among the most important sites where societies either reproduce prejudice or build coexistence. By convening this dialogue, the JRCLS Pakistan Chapter and HRCP reaffirmed their commitment to advancing religious freedom, protecting vulnerable communities and strengthening the rule of law in Pakistan.