Beydaar Society, co-founded by Hussain Haider and Hiba Ikram, is a youth-led peacebuilding organization, is dedicated to promoting peace, interfaith harmony, and religious freedom using tools like peace education, performing arts, and indigenous cultures. With over a decade of experience in Pakistan, Beydaar has established the National Youth Coalition for Peace, Pakistan’s largest youth coalition with over 200 partner organizations and 800 ambassadors.

With support from the Peacemakers Network AWG Small Grants 2024, Beydaar initiated the Youth Fellowship Programme: “Bridging the Gap Between Young Religious Leaders and Young Civil Society Activists for Sustainable Peace” from August to October 2024. The project fostered collaboration and understanding between diverse young religious and civil society leaders, addressing biases, discrimination, and sectarian divides, enhancing their capacities for conflict resolution and dialogue.

Prior to launching the Youth Fellowship Programme, Beydaar Society developed a comprehensive and context-specific toolkit designed to provide young leaders working at the community level with the knowledge and skills needed in peacebuilding and conflict transformation.  Collaborations with the Sheikh Zaid Institute and the Center of Research and Dialogue helped identify focus areas and tailor the fellowship to young leaders’ needs.  Receiving over 2,000 applications from across Pakistan, the project showcased young people’s strong interest in peace initiatives. 24 participants—16 women and 8 men—from the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions, were selected. The cohort comprised 10 young religious leaders and 14 civil society activists from Hindu, Christian, Sectarian Minority, and Sunni Muslim backgrounds.

The fellowship, organized at the University of Peshawar Summer Campus in Baragali, emphasized non-violent communication and peaceful coexistence through workshops, exercises, and group discussions. Participants, many of whom were initially hesitant to collaborate on sensitive topics like gender equality, peacebuilding and youth leadership, formed a unified network committed to peacebuilding in Pakistan, demonstrating that young religious and civil society leaders, despite political, sectarian and mindset differences, can come together with shared common goals and values in peacebuilding. Pakistan’s religious landscape is diverse and often divided along sectarian lines. Young religious and civil society leaders from different sects and religions (Sunni, Shia, Ismaili, etc.) find it challenging to collaborate. As these divisions hinder trust-building and shared peacebuilding efforts, creating dialogue platforms for people from diverse backgrounds, in a safe and controlled environment, is key to the promotion of understanding, peace and collaboration. Hiba Ikram, Co-founder and Director of Beydaar Society, noted that several participants were inspired to apply the fellowship insights, such as viewing feminism and extremism through the lens of religious tolerance, in their communities. Post-project, participants held successful community sessions in KP and Punjab, focusing on reducing biases and stereotypes against religious groups.

In parallel, Beydaar’s sister organization, Brhythm Creatives, conducted a digital campaign using videos, animations, posters, and interviews to engage communities nationwide. This outreach, aided by consultants like musician Wajih Nizami, and journalist Sabookh Syed amplified the project’s message and reach, spreading awareness.

Key Quotes and Commitments from Participants

“I come from a very religious conservative family where there’s no concept of socializing with women, and civil society is often viewed as a tool for promoting a Western agenda. This training has completely changed my perspective. I’ve realized that civil society and religious communities are often working toward the same goals, but because of misconception and stereotypes, they hesitate to come together and collaborate.”
– Umer Farooq, Young Religious Scholar

“It’s incredibly encouraging to see how welcoming and understanding our young, emerging religious leaders are. This fellowship has completely changed my perspective on religious communities in Pakistan. I’m now planning to conduct similar sessions in rural areas around Lahore.”
– Sumbal Javed, Young Civil Society Leader

“Everything I’ve learned during this fellowship should be shared in my Friday sermons at the mosque, because it’s all about tolerance and peace. I never had the opportunity to view issues like feminism, gender, violent extremism, and discrimination in the way I’ve seen them through this training. It has given me an entirely new perspective on religious norms and values.”
– Israr Hussain, Young Religious Scholar

Operating under escalating political and operational constraints presented significant challenges during the fellowship program. Security Concerns: In regions like KP where extremism and militancy are prevalent, young leaders faced threats, harassment, and violence. To ensure safety, participants requested anonymity, avoiding social media exposure. The project team respected privacy, collaborated with local security networks, and used closed online forums to facilitate safe participation. Logistical Challenges: Organizing in-person sessions was difficult, especially in involving participants from remote or politically tense areas. Flexible planning and digital platforms for follow-ups helped overcome these challenges, ensuring broader engagement and participation. Regulatory Constraints: Grassroots peacebuilding efforts in Pakistan are hindered by tight state restrictions on foreign funding, eroding trust between civil society and authorities, and heavy regulatory requirements. Beydaar Society addressed these issues by focusing on building local peace leaders’ capacities through training, allowing participants to independently apply their learnings, minimizing direct intervention. This approach facilitated sustained impact while operating within restrictive environments.

Despite these challenges, the project successfully equipped 24 young leaders to lead broader peacebuilding efforts across Pakistan. The creation of a peace network and continued community-led initiatives are expected to further the project’s impact and sustainability. This initiative not only enhanced young leaders’ capacities but also promoted enduring peace through collaboration between religious and civil society sectors. The project’s success lays a solid foundation for future peacebuilding efforts, with plans for continued engagement, support, and capacity-building.

To ensure long-term sustainability, Beydaar Society aims to establish ongoing training and mentorship opportunities for participants through virtual workshops, refresher sessions, and access to relevant resources. The society also intends to form a network of trained peacemakers from various sectors, including religious and faith-based actors, CSOs, NGOs, the UN, academia, and government agencies. Participants will be encouraged to assume ownership of peace-building activities in their communities and actively report on successes, opportunities, and challenges.

Youth Fellows receiving completion certificates at the Peace Link Fellowship at University of Peshawar, Baragali, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. September 2024.