Finding Common Ground
My name is Mehnaz Javed, and I am from Lahore, Pakistan. I am a human rights activist and work as Executive director of Sanjha Pakistan, which works on interfaith harmony, human rights and equality. I started in this organization with a passion which I think was inherited from my forefathers as they had humane hearts and always tried to help those in need. Besides my organization, I work with the ministry of human rights and minority affairs in Punjab. I along with Muhammad Zain ul Abidin, Lecturer Criminology at university of Sargodha, reviewed Punjab policy on interfaith harmony. In all of this work, I had never encountered anything like Interfaith Photovoice before.
Photovoice was a totally novel idea to me. Initially while beginning the project, I was a bit confused because I was unable to understand the relevance of photos to interfaith dialogue or religion. However, I remember how, in the first session coordinated by Mr. Justin Meyers from Al-Amana Centre (Sultanate of Oman) and Dr. Roman Williams, I was surprised by how they used photographs in their teaching techniques for discussions. Dr. Williams started the session by explaining how to take photos and use them to answer each week’s question; each question asked us about some aspect of our religious practice and barriers to practicing. I was surprised to see how these questions and discussions centered around our photographs created interfaith harmony.
During Interfaith Photovoice, I saw many people from different faiths share wonderful experiences from their daily life. I gained wisdom and exposure. I learned about the daily experiences of other faiths, which made my mind more analytical and thoughtful because I found many other dimensions of religion than I had thought about before. I started observing the things that remain unnoticed in my own routine of life. I also developed the skill of photography from unique and different angles.
Photo 1. Unity is Power.
I always try to share my knowledge with the people around me, so I shared my experience of interfaith photovoice with my community. I have seen a curiosity in different people to learn even more about photovoice and the magic it plays in understanding others. I believe that photovoice can be helpful not only in Pakistan but in any country because it gives everyone involved more than one can expect. Photovoice does not require us to come with a special skill but welcomes us as we are because it is a kind of activity that just needs a camera and does not demand any special skills and tools. Through the process, we learn all we need and grow together as a group. We capture photos to explain our thoughts and beliefs. It gives one much space to think, decide, and capture anything, encouraging us to be creative in the process.
Being a Christian, I have always been concerned with my religious values primarily and never thought much of others’ beliefs; since I joined Interfaith Photovoice, I started knowing other faiths. I found that all participants focused on an undivided point: there must be hope for a peaceful society. The core values of every religion were reflected as peace, acceptance, brotherhood, love and harmony. It was an immense pleasure, as well as a surprise, to find that all religions speak similar values. I found that participants from all faiths were ready to serve humanity. All our different ways of serving and all the diversified ideas in photos converged to one single point: peace building. All of us were fed up with hate, revenge, and hypocrisy. We all are in need of a peaceful co-existence.
Photo 2. How different people have come together to work in aid of those in need. from the Pakistan Exhibition.
Since attending this project, I believe I have become more spiritual as I am sensitized even more to helping humanity no matter from which religion or race one belongs. Listening to those in my small group share about their religious practices gave me more empathy for other belief systems and ways of living out faith. I now find myself having pain and understanding for all human beings and concern for everyone’s unfilled wishes. Interfaith Photovoice gave me a new and right direction to move. I want to help humanity even more, no matter from which religion or race one belongs. This project has made me a state actor that is ready to serve the needy without personal choice or prejudice. I feel as though every human being is a part of my family, and I feel like I actually have some understanding and tools to make that more of a reality.