The motive of this seminar was to provide students awareness about the importance of social work perspective relating Islam, youth and Globalized world, encourage them to think big, enable them to build such abilities within themselves that could operate on a national scale and provide humanitarian assistance to the vulnerable and needy segments of society.

Guest speakers of this seminar were Dr. Faryal Umbreen, Mr. Israr Mohammad Khan, and Mr. Sohail Habib Tajik . Dr. Faryal Umbreen is Head of the Dawah Center for Women International Islamic University, a pioneer in her field. She has been serving as the head of Dawah Women for the past 25 years, Mr. Israr Mohammad Khan has been appointed as Director General NCRD (National Centre for Rural Development) on 13th April 2018. He joined NCRD on 15th September 2001 as Assistant Director. He has extensively travelled abroad, and represented Pakistan on various events pertaining to field of good governance, poverty alleviation, rural development etc. Mr. Sohail Habib Tajik is a Pakistani civil servant and a police officer who is currently serving as Inspector General of Azad Kashmir Police since June 2021. He served as best probationer on National Police Academy and has been awarded the Tamgha e Imtiaz. He has served all over Pakistan in different roles. He is well known for his services in education. He has helped setting up many new schools in under developed areas of Pakistan.

The seminar began with the recitation of Holy Quran followed by National Anthem; afterwards respected speakers were invited to the stage to deliver their powerful and motivational words to the students. Dr. Faryal Umbreen emphasized the importance of social work in Islam, focusing on maintaining basic human needs through positive behavior and sincerity with Allah. She emphasized that social work should start at the family level and progress to outer places and people. Love and kindness are essential for social work, as exemplified by Hazrat Umer (r.a) and Hadiths. She concluded by highlighting five aspects of social work: self-care, physical fitness, connection with Allah, emotional intelligence, and social strength.

Mr. Israr Mohammad Khan discussed the role of youth in social work, emphasizing their potential to improve and create opportunities. He emphasized the importance of social work and well-educated youth in a bright future. Mr. Khan highlighted issues causing undeveloped societies and unusual trends among youth. He shared examples of his South Korean colleagues comparing childhood experiences with modern youth, highlighting the dangers of narcissism and exploitation. Mr. Khan encouraged students to excel in themselves and their surroundings.

Afterwards, at the end; Mr. Sohail Habib Tajik, discussed the impact of globalization on society, highlighting the shift from a global village to a global city. He highlighted the rise of daily emails, silk roads, and e-commerce, as well as the industrial evolution from the 1870s to the 2000s. Mr. Tajik also discussed the rise of artificial intelligence and the convergence of society into a uniformed state. He compared the globalized world to the “Iron curtain” and the “Silicon curtain,” arguing that the globalized world leads to creative decisions and ideas while compromising privacy. He also addressed the issue of “Glossophobia” among individuals, highlighting the impact of celebrities and historical figures like Dian Churcher.

Mr. Tajik also highlighted the importance of non-verbal and verbal gestures in communication. He concluded by highlighting the negative effects of unhealthy consumption of social media on brain health, including attention, screen-timing, and IQ decline. After his speech, Dr. Saima Yasmeen (focal person of seminar) was invited at stage to present souvenirs to guest speakers; seminar was concluded with vote of thanks to guest speakers and appreciation poem for focal person of this seminar.

Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Professor Dr. Manzoor Khan Afridi, was the Chief Guest of the seminar.

On this occasion, Professor Dr. Manzoor Khan Afridi stressed the transformative power of education in achieving empowerment, engagement, and emancipation. He highlighted the importance of deconstructing cultural taboos and promoting inclusive narratives. “To understand perspectives, we first need to understand their constructs,” he remarked, encouraging collective responsibility towards transformative education.

In her welcome address, Dr. Rabia Ali, Incharge of the Department of Sociology, emphasized that gender inequalities in Pakistan are deeply rooted in socio-cultural factors. She underscored that solutions must be culturally acceptable and introduced the EMPOWER project, coordinated by Islamic Relief Worldwide and funded by IR Canada. The initiative aims to address gender inequality by leveraging faith-based teachings, involving religious scholars and faith leaders to challenge patriarchal norms, and promoting education and legal protection as tools to prevent domestic violence.

Mr. Raza Neraijo, Deputy Country Director of Islamic Relief Pakistan, thanked the IIUI faculty and students for their participation. He provided an overview of IRP’s global initiatives, stressing the need for empowerment and awareness in challenging environments where women face systemic struggles.

Dr. Ruksana Tariq, Student Advisor Female Campus, underscored the importance of addressing gender-related issues in academic spaces and encouraged students to organize similar events to foster dialogue.

The event’s central focus was an engaging panel discussion on faith-based approaches to gender justice. The panel featured Dr. Faryal Umbreen, Incharge Dawa Center; Dr. Noreen Saher, Associate Professor Anthropology; Ms. Afshan Jamal from Islamic Relief Pakistan; and Ms. Abida Farheen. In the first round of discussions, panelists explored theoretical frameworks of domestic violence, including relational, social-ecological, and traumatic models. The speakers emphasized the role of families in fostering harmony while addressing societal taboos through Islamic principles and sociological perspectives. Policies to address domestic violence and the challenges of implementation were also discussed.

The second round highlighted girls’ education as a critical issue, emphasizing the socio-cultural pressures women face. Panelists stressed the role of education in holistic personality development and called for inclusive and responsive educational policies rooted in Islamic principles.

The event also featured poster presentations by MS Sociology students on themes related to gender violence and girls’ education. Faculty members and external experts evaluated the posters, and certificates and prizes were awarded to the participants.

In his concluding remarks, Dr. Babar Akram, Chairman Department of Sociology, summarized the event and emphasized the need to combine faith-based approaches with sociological evidence to address gender justice effectively. He thanked Islamic Relief Pakistan for their support and appreciated the efforts of the Department of Sociology for organizing the seminar.

The seminar concluded with a vibrant Q&A session, where participants discussed topics such as spouse selection, women’s empowerment in underprivileged regions, and the interplay of religion and educational culture. The event ended on an optimistic note, celebrating the collective efforts towards empowering women and addressing domestic violence through faith-based and culturally sensitive approaches.