AKU-ISMC Seminar on 'Civil Society in South Asia'

Civil society can help weave culture of peace, tolerance and pluralism

"A generation tutored in the language of dialogue and friendship can make a meaningful change in the security regime and lives of people."

(L to R): Professor Rajeev Bhargava, Head, Department of Political Theory, University of Delhi, India; Professor Amena Mohsin, Chair, Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh; and Professor Mohammad Waseem, Chairman, Department of International Relations, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

This was stated by Professor Amena Mohsin, an eminent scholar from Bangladesh, during a seminar on 'Civil Society in South Asia' organised by Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC) at the University's Stadium Road campus in Karachi on Saturday, January 8, 2005.

The seminar, the seventh in a series titled 'Approaches to Pluralism in Muslim Contexts', featured three speakers from renowned South Asian universities. The primary objective of the seminar was to explore the concept of civil society and its evolution in the South Asian region.

Professor Amena Mohsin, Chair, Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka , presented a paper titled 'Civil Society and Conflict Management: Bangladesh 's Experiences'. Professor Amena recognised that civil society initiatives provide us with a stable anchor to build confidence and trust within and amongst communities in South Asia , adding that these may serve as the building blocks of peace and security in the region.

"Civil society has played an active role in promoting and protecting human rights and thereby contributing to human security and conflict management," she said. In the context of Bangladesh , Professor Mohsin pointed to the demand for a democratisation of the polity, which is widely considered to be crucial to building plural structures. She concluded that "there is a need for civil society to weave a culture of discourse, peace, tolerance and pluralism."

Professor Rajeev Bhargava, Head, Department of Political Theory, University of Delhi , spoke on reform of Muslim personal laws in India . "The Indian constitution grants every religious community the right to establish and maintain institutions for religious purposes and to manage its own religious affairs," he informed participants. Dr Bhargava added, however, that the constitution also enjoins the state to develop a uniform civil code in the future.

"There are two opinion groups in Indian society on the issue of separate personal laws for religious communities and in particular for Muslims, the 'radical individualist' group, which demands the abolition of separate personal laws for religious minorities and the institution of a uniform civil code, and the 'conservative communitarian' group, which seeks the strict preservation of the existing system of separate personal laws on grounds of religious integrity and community identity.

As opposed to these two positions, Professor Bhargava advocated a third, 'reformist' position, which would seek reform and not abolition of these laws. This, he maintained, would portray the civil society of India as both Indian and modern, embodying an alternative modernity and offering an arena of freedom and diversity.  

Professor Mohammad Waseem, Chairman, Department of International Relations, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, presented Pakistan's case in a paper titled 'Civil Society in Pakistan: Challenges and response'. According to Professor Waseem, "the postcolonial ruling set-up in Pakistan left little space for non-state actors in the cultural, political, economic and religious spheres. However, the rise of the middle class and expansion of NGO-based social activity means that civil society is gaining strength. How far this can pose a challenge to the ruling dispensation in terms of promoting democracy and what would the latter's response would be depend on the social capital in the society; i.e. on the way the microstructures of interpersonal trust and shared norms influence the macrostructures of democracy."

Earlier, the speakers and participants were welcomed by Mr Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, President of Aga Khan University. Addressing the participants, he observed that "like other great civilisations of the world, Muslim civilisations too have traditions that are amenable to modern notions of civil society." Moncef Ben Abdeljelil, Associate Professor, AKU-ISMC, provided insight on the growing importance of civil society and AKU-ISMC's work in this area. A question-and-answer session followed the presentation of papers and Dr David Taylor, Acting Provost, Aga Khan University , concluded the sem inar with a vote of thanks.

AKU-ISMC seeks to bring together scholars from various academic disciplines for meaningful intellectual encounters. Established in 2002, the Institute's goal is to strengthen research and teaching on the heritage of Muslim societies in all its historic diversity.