Building Religious Tolerance Through Theology and Storytelling: A Conversation with Hafsa Amir Nawab, MTS ’26

Can you tell us about Bagh-e-Sakina and what drew you to work with them?

Bagh-e-Sakina takes a unique approach among Pakistani NGOs. Their mission is to promote social justice for children aged 9-12 by empowering them to claim their civil rights through knowledge, rather than fostering dependence on external organizations.

I was drawn to this work because of my long-term goal to expand my own NGO, Baitun Nisaa, which focuses on rehabilitating survivors of domestic violence, sexual harassment, and rape. This internship gave me invaluable practical knowledge of working within non-profit structures and understanding the challenges of running programs that address vulnerable communities.

What was the focus of your summer project?

The project aimed to develop an educational product for children that would foster religious tolerance and empathy. The majority of the population in Karachi is Sunni Muslim, and the rest of the groups are in minority (including Shia Muslims). These minorities often face discrimination and marginalization. We focused on children aged 9-11 because this is a prime developmental stage where notions of religious diversity—or intolerance—take root.

You began with a literature review. What were some key insights?

I looked at culturally responsive training models, social-emotional learning frameworks, and approaches to teaching critical thinking. One study I found particularly helpful used a scale measuring the degree of interreligious and intercultural sensitivity. It showed how people move from denial—the inability to recognize cultural or religious differences—to defense, where they see differences as threats, then to acceptance, where they recognize and appreciate differences, and finally to adaptation, where they can shift their worldview. The storybook was designed to help students go from denial or defense to acceptance and adaptation.

But perhaps the most important part of my research was understanding whether the concept of tolerance is found in Islamic theological sources. I explored how early Muslim scholars conceived of acceptable religious difference, and how the early document known as the Constitution of Medina (an agreement by the Prophet that included both Muslims and Jews) could serve as precedent for religious pluralism. This theological grounding became crucial for the project.

Why was theology so important?

That became clear through our primary research. I conducted interviews with Shia community members and educators across Karachi using a snowball sampling approach. What I discovered was that many children in our target audience understand their religious identity in deeply political and nationalized terms, often reinforced by family and media.

For children whose religious and national identities are closely intertwined, secular frameworks emphasizing universal human equality—the kind promoted by international development organizations—didn’t resonate as strongly. While that rhetoric has traction in international development spaces, our interviews showed that it does not resonate well with communities where these identities are so closely fused.

We concluded that a theological intervention was necessary, one that could reframe intolerance not as a social faux pas but as a moral and religious degradation.

That sounds like a significant shift in approach. How did your team respond?

There was some back and forth. My supervisor suggested exploring a postmodern lens that would highlight shared culture and heritage. But I argued that intolerance should be addressed as a failure of religious and moral responsibility, not merely as a loss of cultural heritage. After discussion, I was able to convince the team that a theologically grounded approach, enriched with tools like social-emotional learning and critical thinking, would be more effective for our target audience.

What did you ultimately create?

We developed an interactive storybook following two characters, Sadiq and Pari, as they navigate religious diversity in their Karachi neighborhood. Through their story—playing cricket with diverse friends, witnessing discrimination at school, celebrating Diwali with Hindu neighbors, and learning from their imam about Quranic teachings on compassion—child readers are invited to make choices and reflect on their own responses.

The goal was to achieve this through a theological lens that resonates with their religious identities, while simultaneously encouraging empathy, social-emotional learning, and critical moral reasoning.

Can you give us an example of how the storybook works?

In one chapter, the imam teaches about Qur’anic verses that emphasize human dignity, compassion, and justice. Sadiq realizes that intolerance and violence are against the very teachings of Islam. Then there’s an interactive activity where children match values like justice, kindness, honesty, and compassion with short Qur’anic sayings presented in simple language.

In another scene, classmates tease Ali, a boy whose family practices a different form of prayer. Sadiq feels torn: should he join in to fit in, or stand up for Ali? We present a scenario choice: “If you were Sadiq, would you: stay silent, laugh along, or defend Ali?” This is followed by a reflection activity where children write or draw about how Ali might feel in each scenario. The goal is to build social emotional learning—empathy and perspective-taking—and connect it with moral courage.

What were some of the challenges you faced during this work?

Conducting interviews with marginalized communities challenged me to become acutely aware of my language, tone, and questioning style. Coming from a relatively privileged background, I realized that I had not personally encountered the levels of discrimination many interviewees faced. This required me to learn how to ask questions without triggering trauma and to build trust and rapport when discussing deeply sensitive topics like religious intolerance. Developing this sensitivity was a transformative learning experience that will shape the way I conduct qualitative research going forward.

Did you also gain some strategic insights about the non-profit sector?

Yes. My supervisor emphasized that while our product was built around the idea of religious diversity, branding it this way could limit its adoption in schools that resist overtly religious content. Instead, framing it as a program in critical thinking made it more accessible within modern educational systems. This strategic approach to communication underscored the importance of balancing substance with presentation in the NGO sector.

Looking back on the experience, what stands out most?

This experience deepened my understanding of the importance of culturally sensitive and theologically grounded approaches to addressing religious intolerance. It also reinforced my long-term commitment to social justice and affirmed my vision for expanding Baitun Nisaa into an organization capable of creating transformative, inclusive, and sustainable interventions.

If I could revisit the process, I would have sought earlier engagement with community leaders, as their perspectives might have allowed us to refine our strategies from the outset. Additionally, stronger collaboration with other non-profits could have expanded the project’s reach and amplified its impact. These lessons highlight the importance of coalition-building and early stakeholder involvement in sustainable social projects.

What do you hope this storybook will accomplish?

My hope is that our project will influence how the next generation in Karachi understands and practices religious tolerance.

About the Greeley Social Justice Grant

Hafsa’s internship was supported by CSWR’s Greeley Social Justice Grant, which provides $5,000 annually to support student internships focused on social justice work around the world. The grant enables Harvard Divinity School students to engage in meaningful fieldwork that connects their academic studies with real-world community needs. Students interested in applying for summer 2026 internships can find more information at https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/opportunities/greeley-international-internship. The application deadline is April 6, 2026.