On the Significance of Religion in Conflict and Conflict Resolution

Christine Schliesser, S. Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana, Pauline Kollontai

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781000167535
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religious Intolerance, Persecution & Conflict

In this ground-breaking volume, the authors analyze the role of religion in conflict and conflict resolution. They do so from the perspectives of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, while bringing different disciplines into play, including peace and conflict studies, religious studies, theology, and ethics. With much of current academic, political, and public attention focusing on the conflictive dimensions of religion, this book also explores the constructive resources of religion for conflict resolution and reconciliation.

Analyzing the specific contributions of religious actors in this field, their potentials and possible problems connected with them, this book sheds light on the concrete contours of the oftentimes vague "religious factor" in processes of social change. Case studies in current and former settings of violent conflict such as Israel, post-genocide Rwanda, and Pakistan provide "real-life" contexts for discussion.

Combining cutting-edge research with case studies and concrete implications for academics, policy makers, and practitioners, this concise and easily accessible volume helps to build bridges between these oftentimes separated spheres of engagement.

The Open Access version of this book, available at:

http://doi.org/10.4324/9781003002888, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Part I

Summary

1

Summary and implications for academics, policy makers, and practitioners

Christine Schliesser, S. Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana, and Pauline Kollontai

Religion matters in conflict and conflict resolution. Effective conflict resolution is too complex an endeavor to forego the contributions of any relevant actor, religious or not. It is therefore vital to better understand the role of religion in conflict and to strengthen religion’s positive contributions for conflict resolution. It is in the joint collaboration of academics, policy makers, and practitioners, religious and secular, that the potential for change is astounding.

Implication 1: bridging the divide between religious and secular

Effective conflict resolution depends on both religious and secular actors. Each must overcome ignorance and prejudices in order to collaborate successfully. For secular actors in government, business, media, and higher education, this calls for strengthening religious literacy. For religious actors, this means endorsing a theology that promotes the public and collaborative sides of religion.

Implication 2: bridging the divide between different faith traditions

Besides the necessity for bridging the religious–secular divide, there is a need for more and deeper cooperation between different faith traditions in conflict resolution. More often than not, ignorance and prejudices hinder interfaith cooperation. Interfaith dialogue and joint initiatives, however, can serve as powerful inspirations for overcoming violence not only within a particular conflict but also far beyond it.

Implication 3: bridging the divide between academics, policy makers, and practitioners

Effective conflict resolution depends on the collaborative efforts of all relevant actors—academics, policy makers, and practitioners. Joint and cross-over efforts in higher education, governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and faith-based organizations (FBOs) need to be supported.

Implication 4: more evaluation

Despite the increasing number of programs focusing on religious peacebuilding, there is a knowledge gap in the area of evaluation. Evaluation of religious peacebuilding generates better understanding of what is effective religious peacebuilding and supports evidence-based policy and practice.

Implication 5: better inclusion of women

Women are often marginalized in conflict resolution processes, and consequently their perspectives and experiences are excluded. Recent studies show, however, that women are particularly effective agents of social change and conflict resolution.

Implication 6: better inclusion of the youth

At the same time, more attention in conflict resolution theory and praxis must be directed towards the youth. The so-called “youth bulge” in many countries of the Global South has already given rise to concern about the potential destabilizing effect. The same goes for concerns about the growth of destablizing and anti-democratic ideologies such as racism, white supremacy, and Islamophobia amongst youth in the Global North. At the same time, the tremendous potential for conflict resolution and reconciliation within children and youth goes largely neglected.

Implication 7: better engagement of the media

Conflict resolution in general, and religious conflict resolution in particular, need to become better in strategically engaging the media and social media. While there is no shortage of media outlets preaching religious hatred and intolerance, religious peacebuilders have to catch up in employing these powerful instruments for the means of peace, empathy, and acceptance of the other.

Implication 8: taking the issues of proselytization and instrumentalization into account

Religious actors often face the charge that their main goal is to attract followers and convert others, which can constitute a serious impediment to peacebuilding between religious groups. At the same time, one needs to acknowledge that conversion is not an exclusively religious phenomenon as all development organizations aim to transform the way people act and think in terms of citizenship for the common good. This sensitive subject should therefore be treated in a differentiated manner and framed under the aspects of transparency and equality.

Implication 9: better engagement of indigenous and non-Abrahamic religions

With much of Western attention focusing on the Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—in conflict resolution, little attention is being paid to the contributions of indigenous, dharmic, and other East Asian religious traditions. Similar to Abrahamic faiths, these traditions have a wealth of resources and values that promote peacebuilding and justice.

Part II

Why religion matters

2

Why religion matters

An introduction

Christine Schliesser, S. Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana, and Pauline Kollontai

At a conference on poverty alleviation a couple of years ago in Salzburg, Austria, I (Christine Schliesser) presented a paper on the religious factor in development. During the Q&A session, a renowned economist from Frankfurt, Germany, stood up, saying: “I am surprised that you would bring religion into this context. We all know that religion is a private affair and has no bearing on public issues such as development”. “I am surprised that you are surprised”, I replied, “Because we all should know that religion matters in global affairs”. Religion matters, indeed. Not only does it affect the everyday choices, behavior, and action of countless people worldwide, but religion also has an impact on global issues and challenges, including conflict and conflict resolution, development, and climate change.

The question is not if, but how religion matters. Or: the failure of the secularization thesis

Much of public and academic discourse in the past decades was dominated by the so-called “secularization thesis”, claiming that modern societies would become more and more secular, while religion was retreating. The secularization thesis was reinforced by the post-Enlightenment proposition that religion belongs to the private sphere, while all matters of public, let alone global concern, ought to be treated as purely secular (and this conviction is still very much alive, as the economist from Frankfurt cited above demonstrates). Recent years, however, have seen signs of an impending paradigm change. Instead of a “disenchantment of the world” (Max Weber), we find a renewed interest in the role of religion in the making of modern societies. A “return to the question of religion” (Freeman 2012: 1), even a “desecularization of the world” (ed. Berger 1999), is now being proclaimed. Along with the failure of the secularization thesis to explain the resurgence of religion in many societal and political processes worldwide, this thesis is further contested by recent empirical findings. According to a 2015 study conducted by the Pew Research Center, the 21st century will be a religious one. All main religions—except for Buddhism—will experience growth in numbers. By 2050, the number of Muslims will have increased to equal Christianity and 10 percent of Europeans will adhere to Islam (Pew Research Center 2015).

The increasing awareness of the significance of religion on global issues has become apparent not only in academics, but also amongst practitioners and policy makers. Paradigmatic for this is the 2016 European Union’s appointment of the first ever Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the European Union. This appointment stands for the recognition of the link between the right of freedom of religion, conscience, and thought, on the one hand, and public issues such as stability and peace on the other hand. As the Council of the European Union states: “Violations of freedom of religion or belief may exacerbate intolerance and often constitute early indicators of potential violence and conflicts” (Council of the European Union 2013: 1).

The question is therefore no longer if religion makes a contribution in processes of social change, but rather of what kind are these contributions and what are their specific potentials and problems. In order to better understand the impact of religion on different issues of public concern, various national governments in secularized, Western countries have started to establish special units. The United States, for example, created the “Office of Religion and Global Affairs” at the State Department, while the UK set up the CONSENT strategy at the Home Office, with an emphasis on understanding the role of religion in promoting radicalization and terrorism, and Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs’ Human Security Division formed a task force on “Religion, politics and conflicts”.

Bringing together academics, policy makers, and practitioners

With academics, policy makers, and practitioners becoming increasingly aware of the importance of understanding the religious factor in public and global affairs, it would seem only natural that all of these relevant actors join forces. Yet ignorance and suspicion on all sides remain high, further perpetuated by the divides between religious and non-religious actors and between actors of different faith traditions. This observation is part of the rationale behind this book and the entire book series. In view of the complexity and urgency of the challenges presented to us as global citizens, we simply cannot afford to ignore the wisdom, insights, and experiences by any one actor. Coming together from the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faith traditions, we want to connect the contributions of our respective religions and our respective disciplines. It is our aim and hope that this book series will help to build bridges across different faith traditions, different disciplines, and between academics, policy makers, and practitioners. We are encouraged to see more and more of these cross-boundaries initiatives emerge. One example is the 2016 conference “Partners for Change. Religions and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. This high-profile conference was initiated by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and brought together actors from politics, religion, and NGOs to jointly explore the role of religion in pressing issues such as peace, poverty, and climate change.

Situating our work: the Sustainable Development Goals

To our great fortune, we thus do not need to invent a framework that situates our work. It is already present in that grand global task spelled out to each one of us in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals, adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015, include many of the world community’s most pressing challenges, such as ending poverty and hunger, reducing inequality, and working for peace and justice. In achieving these goals, the SDGs call for a global partnership between both developed and developing countries, between the so-called Global North and the Global South. The SDGs further recognize the intrinsic relationship between the individual goals. Ending hunger, for instance, is linked to ending violent conflicts, currently the number one driving force of hunger. At the same time, efforts at reducing inequality will only be sustainable if they are connected to tackling climate change and efforts to preserve our forests and oceans. Describing this bigger picture, UN Secretary General António Guterres states: “We need a global response that addresses the root causes of conflict, and integrates peace, sustainable development and human rights in a holistic way – from conception to execution” (Guterres 2017). So while the different volumes of the series “Religion Matters” all address specific global issues—related directly or indirectly to the SDGs—we always need to remind ourselves that these issues are connected with one another and cannot be treated in isolation. This volume with its focus on conflict and conflict resolution ...