London Yunus Emre Institute hosted a talk on academician Dr. Amineh Hoti’s inspiring book “Gems and Jewels: The Religions  of Pakistan.’’ The event, which started with the speech of Dr. Amineh Hoti, took place on Thursday, April 14, 2022, and continued with the question-answer section and the author signing the readers’ book.

This event, where an iftar meal consisting of a selection of traditional Turkish dishes was given to the participants right after the event, was held as part of the Culture and Art Talks organized by the Yunus Emre Institute on a regular basis since 2017.  

In her speech, Dr. Amineh Hoti took the audience on a journey through which untold stories were told, and the relatively young nation of Pakistan was rediscovered, where multiple beliefs and traditions were woven into its rich cultural heritage like a colorfully woven rug. With her speech and presentation, Dr. Hoti told the story of the fascinating depth and development of this country and its people.  

GREAT RICHNESS OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN PAKISTAN 

Dr. Hoti remarked that “Gems and Jewels:  The Religions of Pakistan’’ is a counter-narrative to the story of the troubled child of South Asia, which has abundant and historical richness but struggles with political instability, which is generally presented by the media as rigid, militant, exclusionary and extreme. In her speech, Dr. Hoti also emphasized how interconnected the lives of the communities belonging to these cultures in addition to emphasizing the diversity of beliefs that adorn Pakistan.  

Similar folk tales about divine love, historical figures loved by almost every religious or cultural society of Pakistan, and the sense of unity in society that escaped the attention of the media were the prominent themes of this talk. Dr. Hoti’s speech with a very personal approach, where she showed photographs from meetings with people with different cultures whom she met all over Pakistan and told their stories, aimed both to break down the stereotypical narratives and to explain the cultural and religious richness that has been ignored until now.

In her speech, Dr. Hoti introduced religious figures from different faith based on her meetings with different religious communities, who gained recognition and the love of people by crossing the borders and walls of their own beliefs and cultures. Underlining that the teachings of all these different religions advise living together in peace, Dr. Hoti’s speech, in which she introduced the multi-layered culture of people with these beliefs, became a brand-new source of inspiration for the audience. 

Dr. Hoti explained an approach that aims to empathize in order to understand the way people from different backgrounds and denominations live their beliefs and perspectives, rather than an academic analysis of social groupings or stratifications.
 
You can watch the speech on the YouTube channel of London Yunus Emre Institute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_9o1s2PQeA