Amid the violent and non-violent protests against the anti-Islamic “Innocence of Muslims” film, 11 senior Pakistani religious leaders gathered in Turkey for a USIP-sponsored peacebuilding and conflict management workshop from September 20 through October 1.

The religious leaders are sajjada nashin or custodians of the Sufi shrines where millions of Pakistanis visit for pilgrimage. The sajjada nashin offer spiritual guidance, pastoral counseling and support their followers regarding day-to-day problems. The 11 leaders represented all of the major Sufi orders and came from both rural and urban centers.

Qamar-ul Huda, senior program officer in USIP’s Religion and Peacemaking Center who organized and led the workshop, said, "For several years extremist groups have been targeting these religious leaders and their institutions. These leaders needed specific conflict management tools to protect their communities.”

“Sajjada nashin have an enormous influence in society and the skills they bring back will save lives and exponentially uplift the up-and-coming leadership in these Sufi centers,” said Huda.

USIP coordinated this trip with Turkey’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, Mevlana (Rumi) University – a co-sponsor and venue of the workshop -- and with Track to Peace, a Pakistani nongovernmental organization (NGO) dedicated to peacebuilding. Mevlana (Rumi) University was instrumental in connecting the Pakistanis with key local Sufi leaders and academics who work on peacebuilding.

Because members of the Pakistani delegation are so involved in preventing conflicts on a daily basis at home, this particular workshop provided a framework to act beyond their basic understanding. The workshop training emphasized advance communication and negotiation skills, key techniques in facilitating dialogues, and multiple ways in understanding their role as leaders.  Each exercise and simulation stressed the importance of cooperative conflict management and how relationships are complicated during time of conflict.

Mahdi Raza Shah, a sajjada nishin from the Lal Shabaz Qalandar shrine in Sind, one of Pakistan’s oldest Sufi centers, said, “this holistic experience was transformative in every way possible; we didn’t expect to rethink about our every aspect of ourselves and our role in communities.”

Khwaja Moin ud-Din Khoreja, a sajjada nishin from Punjab, expressed his gratitude to USIP and Turkish colleagues who “gave him a renewed commitment to peacebuilding and spreading tolerance.”

In addition to the intensive workshop, the program intended for the Pakistanis to learn from Turkish civil society organizations and to better understand their model of religious moderation. The delegation had dynamic exchanges with muftis, imams, teachers, journalists, academics, peacebuilding NGOs, parliamentarians, government officials and senior Turkish Sufi leaders. 

“Exposing Pakistani religious leaders to Turkey’s enormous cultural heritage and immensely productive religious and non-religious institutions brought a greater self-reflection on their part on why they’ve failed to do the same and what they need to do strengthen their institutions,” said Huda.

Huda said “the enthusiasm of the Pakistani delegation was illustrated by many late night discussions on sketching out strategy plans on moving forward with greater internal cooperation and increasing the effectiveness of their own institutions.”

Several delegates serve in the leadership of the Ma’Shaikh Council of Pakistan, which is a network of sajjada nishins, and they will debrief the Council of their new skills and experiences. Delegates will initiate a training of trainers within their communities to further advance conflict management support centers. Other delegates are interested in curriculum development and educational centers to teach similar workshops.