Cultural Heritage Essay

“Each piece of the past tells something of what we were or what we are. By enlarging our ties with past generations, we commit ourselves to future generations and we dignify the present.”

(Quote from “Colombian Minister of Culture Elvira Cuervo de Jaramillo”)

Past provides us with knowledge and understanding of our culture and traditions. These different cultures give people knowledge of their beliefs, religions and customs.

Every culture has their own sacred places that help people to develop their specific identities. Destroying such places not only demolishes the cultural identities, but also the history because our past is what has helped us grow to be the individuals that we are today.

Each and every person or a community belongs to some heritage. We require this heritage as our collective resource for distinct subculture identity of the society. In the past, every society belonging to different religions was living together in the subcontinent, respecting each other’s institution. Soon after 1947, when Muslims claimed their separate homeland, the situation changed completely. Most of the religious institutions belonging to different societies were destroyed and the remaining is being demolished. Violence, hatred, extremism based on religion has started increasing now. I am concerned about the fact that why there is no tolerance among people belonging to a different religion? Why there is no passion to preserve the cultural identities or heritage which belongs to the past? Every place of worship

should be respected whether we believe in it or whether we don’t. We were made to respect each other, we were made to tolerate.

My initial research was based on the question that whether in an Islamic count...

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... not only cause intolerance, but have failed to provide any legal safety for religious minorities.

Conclusion

Like United States, our government should also start working for the preservation of religious institutions because they are the means of tourism which ultimately benefit our economy. Not every person feels a bond with their cultural heritage, but many people do. Some may think traditions are outdated and no longer important, during these modern eras. Perhaps, others do not.

Preservation of the historical sites along with the religious institutions of different cultures enhances the community. If government starts taking a stand for the minorities in Pakistan and provides funds for their worship places, this will enable new construction projects and originate various activities including heritage tourism, economic development, and social betterment.