Berkley Center

Despite improvements in security and the economy in Pakistan in the past few years, tensions continue to grow between both the governments and populations of the United States and Pakistan. Islamophobia in the United States and discrimination against Christians and other minorities in Pakistan have grown, sometimes with violent consequences, exacerbating fear and distrust of the other.

Since 2011, the NGO Intersections International has been working with religious, community, and academic leaders in the United States and Pakistan to forge relationships that shatter stereotypes and enable the development of relationships that engender greater respect, understanding, and trust between the two countries. Intersections recently led its fifth U.S-Pakistan Interreligious Consortium (UPIC) trip to Pakistan, bringing Muslim, Christian, and Jewish leaders to engage with local communities in settings from slums to universities. This briefing session shared the work of UPIC with testimony from Muslim, Christian, and Jewish delegates and visiting Pakistani university students. The group discussed its understanding of the historical, political, and social realities in the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, the agenda for the future, and the impact of domestic interreligious efforts on international relations.

Lunch was served.

This event was co-sponsored by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and Intersections International.