When you allow someone to smoke cigarette, does it mean tolerating the smoke he puffs? You have not allowed him to harm you, have you? How do you define “tolerance”? Suppose your children are behaving impolitely or destroying something but you keep watching them silently, are you tolerant towards them? When a slave does not interfere in his master’s decision, does he show tolerance? None of them are the definition for tolerance. Tolerance means not opposing one’s beliefs or behaviors maturely, which are disagreeable, despite having the authority and free will. Therefore, tolerance is based on particularly reasonable morality rather than being unconcerned without a reason behind. When parents do not react regarding their children’s impoliteness, it is called permissiveness rather than tolerance.

We will pave the way for tolerance if we entitle one socially and politically for simply being human regardless of their belief, religion, ethnic origin or any other status. And when we grant the minorities equal rights, believe the concept of human rights in modern way and respect the varieties of religious beliefs and moral values.

Tolerance exists in a society where there are rules freedom of expression and freedom of belief and where people can critique their beliefs. In spite of living in a traditional society, our people are granted those rights to some extent within the last decade. Respecting freedom and human rights does not mean eroding religious values. A religious society can also have a democratic government and democracy will fertilize religious values and thoughts.

Since we live in a multi-ethnic country, tolerating others’ beliefs and their political and social rights is a crying need. The rights of minorities must not be violated and their beliefs and social values never be denied.

“Violence” is defined the antonym of “tolerance”. A society lacking tolerance, violence, bloodshed and cruelty emerge. For instance, the minority Shias, especially Hazaras, suffer sectarian violence and lose their lives on the streets, bazaar, shopping mills, markets, mosques, vehicles, etc. in Balochistan province of Pakistan. As a result, reports say that eight members of the ethnic Hazara community were killed and six injured in Quetta by unknown armed on Thursday morning. It is said that estimates provided by Tahir Hussain Khan, president of the Balochistan chapter of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan(HRCP), earlier this month show that the violence has driven as many as 200,000 Hazaras to relocate to other major cities of Pakistan or move abroad. Such sectarian violence and dogmatic ideologies are bred by religious intolerance. Hence, it should be noted that religious, social and political intolerances threaten the life of citizens and destabilize a society.

The Nigerian radical group, Boko Haram, is one of the second worst examples that lack religious tolerance. Therefore, they shed the civilians’ blood just due to their creeds. In recent years, Boko Haram has carried out dozens of attacks, killing thousands of people at schools, churches, police stations, government buildings and elsewhere. Targets include Christians, senior Islamic figures critical of Boko Haram and people the group believes are engaged in “un-Islamic” behavior. They kidnapped and sold the schoolgirls in markets under the aegis of religion.

Islamic State or ISIS is the third worst example that have emerged as the most recent form of radical jihadism and the public feel bewildered by their ferocity and brutality, especially towards minorities.

There is something else about ISIS that has emerged as different from other extremist groups and that is their treatment of women and girls. Male violence against women is nothing new and unfortunately knows neither racial nor cultural boundaries. But the manner in which ISIS members are reported to be treating captured women and young girls speaks of another era.

There are allegations of women being sold into slavery or repeatedly and barbarically raped and even if some claims are exaggerated, there are too many terrible truths. Women, especially young Yazidi women, are being told to convert to Islam so as to marry ISIS fighters. The mantra is that the caliphate needs new converts and children to spread; women can provide both. Such radicalism originates in religious narratives which lack tolerance. So, intolerance pulls a society to a highly critical situation.

Once again, it should be emphasized that tolerance means showing respect for the race, religion, age, gender, opinions, and ideologies of other people or groups. This concept means different things to different people, but it is when something is disagreeable that tolerance is expected, and in more politically correct cultures, demanded.

One problem is the fact that this respect is sometimes one-sided. Those who disagree with a particular issue must respect the opinions of those who advocate it, but some advocates feel justified in labeling those who disagree with hateful terms, and vice versa. People on both sides of an issue must be tolerant of each other.

One may ask that shall we show tolerance towards those who harm us and take our lives such as the aforementioned groups? In this regard, the answer is negative. When it comes to controversial issues, tolerance may also represent a “let’s agree to disagree” stance. It does not mean that a person has to accept or embrace words, actions, or ideas that are against his or her values or beliefs. It simply means that each person agrees to respect the other’s right to his or her feelings on the matter. When both parties have expressed their opinions, and it is obvious that neither is likely to change position, agreeing to disagree is often the most amicable outcome.