Transformation of conflict as a key element of religious and non-religious peacebuilding (original) (raw)
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Moving Trends in Peace and Conflict Studies: The Nexus between Religion and Peace Building
THE FOUNTAIN: JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES, 2017
In moving abreast with the global trends in the field of peace and conflict resolution, religious practitioners are found at every level of the peace-building processes. The role of religion in the modern era cannot be underestimated since it has remained a resilient force in society. Religion transcends geographical boundaries that can be used to reach a majority of its followers, it teaches peace and love, even when the condition seems horrendous. The motivational factor for writing this paper emanated from the realization of the continuous
On the Significance of Religion in Conflict and Conflict Resolution
On the Significance of Religion in Conflict and Conflict Resolution, 2021
"This initial book in an exciting new series looks at one of the key global issues with which religion is intimately involved: the sustainable development goals. This punchy, thoughtful and comprehensive overview of the relevant issues is a must-read for scholars, practitioners and university students. It will help set the focus of debates on this issue. I warmly recommend it". Jeffrey Haynes, London Metropolitan University, UK "The 'Religion Matters' series is a timely and accessible compendium con-textualizing the role of religion within the critical issues of our time. The first volume, On the Significance of Religion in Conflict and Conflict Resolution, demonstrates through careful analysis and illustrative case studies around the three Abrahamic traditions the real yet complex impact of religion in the global sphere, showing clearly the need for collaboration and understanding across sectors and religious traditions in conflict resolution. Building upon the rich academic expertise and lived experiences of the authors, and situating itself within the broader religion and peacebuilding scholarship of recent decades, this volume raises to the forefront the 'how' and 'why' religion does indeed matter". Melissa Nozell, United States Institute of Peace, USA "'Does religion matter' is a crucial question for billions of people around the world. Although in recent years, many governments and international organizations have begun considering the role of religion in policy, nevertheless these efforts remain in their initial phase. This edited volume creatively tackles this central issue in international politics. Combining several real and challenging cases, the Editors successfully dispel the myth that religion alone causes violent conflicts and is responsible for their solutions. The book also illustrates how the three Abrahamic traditions can be deployed effectively to positively contribute to conflict resolution and peacebuilding in Israeli Palestinian, Pakistan, and Rwanda settings. The edited volume adds an important voice to the field of interreligious peacebuilding. It also responds to the need for further engagement between policy makers and peacebuilding communities and practitioners". Mohammed Abu-Nimer, American University School, USA "This volume is an important contribution to efforts to bring religion back into the mainstream of conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Analyzing religion's role in conflict and peace by applying a simple framework to several rich case studies, the authors convincingly demonstrate that religion matters for anyone working in the field of conflict resolution today". Owen Frazer, Center for Security Studies, Zurich, Switzerland
Religion in Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding
Routledge Handbook of Religion and Political Parties (ed. Jeffrey Haynes), 2020
In a briefing to the European Parliament in 2016, policy analyst Philippe Perchoc points out, “The role of religious groups in conflict and conflict resolution is at the centre of lively academic debate. … International organisations, states and think-tanks are giving increasing consideration to the religious dimension of conflict resolution” (Perchoc 2016, 1). The interest in the religious dimension in societal and political processes in general and in conflict resolution and peacebuilding in particular is fairly recent, however, as the secularization thesis had dominated academic and political thought for decades. This contribution thus provides (1.) a brief overview of the rise of interest in the religious factor, before (2.) discussing key concepts in the field of conflict resolution. A third part (3.) examines the role of religious actors in conflict and conflict transformation, while a final (4.) part relates religion, conflict transformation and political parties. Here, a closer look at post-genocide Rwanda serves as a case study. (Accepted, pre-published paper)
The misunderstanding and misinterpretation of religion and its teachings by its followers and others have given the impression that religion is the sole source of all past and current conflicts faced by humanity. This assumption is perhaps encouraged due to the limited knowledge of other religions and the wrong impression spread because of peoples‟ ignorance of their own religion. The media presents religion with stories focused exclusively on hatred, war-making, and devastation. However, the value of peace has been considered as the core principle in the teachings of major world religions. The ongoing inter-religious activities initiated by both, religious individuals and institutions have shown very clearly that religion stands for peace and not war. This research sees inter-religious dialogue as the most important element on which the notion of peacebuilding stands. This study attempts to show that inter-religious activities are a great resource for building and sustaining peace between people of different socio-cultural and religious backgrounds in the long term. The paradigm of inter-religious dialogue is to provide people with a better understanding of religion and its teachings and should shift their views from hostility and enmity to mutual respect and better understanding. Descriptive and analytical methods will be employed by the researcher with the intention of providing findings that will serve as solid solutions for the contemporary conflicts witnessed by our contemporary societies.
The role of Religion in Peacebuilding
Religion is often considered to be a motivator and mobiliser of masses in conflict areas. It is labeled as the negative contributor to conflict instead of a potential positive influence on conflict transformation. The Western secularisation is associated with a modern, democratic, pluralistic state, those states that are dominated by culture and religion are perceived as premodern, undemocratic, and intolerant (Powers, 2010). Often religion is dealt the unimportant role at the negotiation table, ignoring a major dimension to many conflicts. The goal of this paper is to review this role of religion and discover its benefits to the peacebuilding process. Mozambique, Nigeria, Cambodia, and Bosnia are cases in which religion played an important role either in the conflict, the peacebuilding process, or both. After examining each case a more generalised view will be given on the role that religion can have within peacebuilding. As an author I acknowledge that religion is often a tool used by criminal and war leaders, political and religious elites, and those in power to gain personal financial or political benefits or secure and increase their political power. It is not the goal to refute or examine this claim, but to develop an understanding of the influence of religion on a grassroots level in a positive way towards peace. Based on the analyses of the cases and the theory conclusions are drawn on how the international community can strengthen the role of religion.
The Role of Religion in Conflict and Peacebuilding
2015
The British Academy's latest international policy report explores how the role of religion in conflict and peacebuilding has all too often been depicted in binary terms, which have obscured the complexity of the subject. The report argues that religion is never a static or isolated entity but should rather be understood as a fluid system of variables, contingent upon a large number of contextual and historical factors. By observing how religion operates and interacts with other aspects of the human experience at the global, institutional, group and individual levels, this report aims to gain a more nuanced understanding of its role (or potential role) in both conflict and peacebuilding
Indonesian Perspective, 2016
The article makes the case of collaborating the notion of interreligious dialogueand the concept of the zone of peace in an attempt to provide a more practical yeteffective channel of reconciliation in the context of post‐interreligious violence. There arethree critics implied throughout the article. First, that the current state of most ofinterreligious dialogue in post‐conflict settings is lack of two things, namely, the inclusivestructure that would allow non‐scholars and non‐clergies to engage in the theologicaldialogue, and a coherent structure for the currently diasporic efforts in interreligiousdialogue. Second, that the concept of zone of peace is severely limited, particularly due toits dependence on material modalities in forging the path of reconciliation toward peace.And third, that the elusive and elitist nature of interreligious dialogue in post‐conflictsettings, and the limited material modalities of the zone of peace can be expanded bycollaborating the two notions in...
Article: The Role of Religion in Establishing Peaceful Coexistence in Society
Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization, 2018
The world has become a global village where an occurrence in one corner of the world has resounding effects in all the other corners. Therefore, the need to develop a positive attitude toward understanding and interaction among all the world religions has increased manifold, particularly in view of the grave nature of threats posed to global order and peace. This paper deals with the issues of religious bigotry, intolerance and misunderstanding toward other religions. Religion does not teach violence and antagonism to its followers. The primary and fundamental teaching of all world religions promotes love, compassion, tolerance, peace, mutual respect, understanding and cooperation. In the past, many efforts have been made to create harmony among the followers of different religions by eliminating their differences and their unique identities shaped by their respective religion through the imposition of a uniform religious structure. This paper explains that there is no need to eliminate religious differences and identities in order to establish a good society but it also emphasizes the need to develop core respect and understanding the beliefs of others. These form the basis on which believers of different religions can live together. The followers of different religions and faiths need to join hands in initiating dialogue and interaction with each other in order to make this globe a peaceful place for every one regardless of his religion, creed and ethnic identities. This is the only way to eliminate the specter of terrorism and extremism. Keywords: peaceful coexistence, pluralism, interfaith harmony, positive attitude, terrorism, extremism, religion and peace