There is a tendency for international actors, the UN and others, to depart, sometimes on a timetable or sometimes when the Security Council decides that its appetite for engagement in a conflict is no longer there, and then really, at the end of the day, it is the communities, and it is the different leaders of those communities who are involved in picking up the pieces and trying to identify how to resolve those grievances and concerns about conflict and identity that have not been resolved. Religion and conflict resolution is an area of significant importance. Brody et al. As Irina has noted in my sort of biography, Im by no means a religious scholar to comment on any of these topics. SHARLAND: Heres my short answer to this very challenging question that youve raised there(laughs)and Im certainly not going to do justice to it in the few minutes that are remaining. Religion, Violence, and Conflict Resolution Marc Gopin First published: 17 December 2002 https://doi.org/10.1111/0149-0508.00035 Citations: 12 PDF Tools Share Abstract Religion has a dual legacy in human history regarding peace and violence. This is the first book that systematically tries to map out the religious dimensions of internal armed conflicts and explain the conditions under which religious dimensions impede peaceful settlement. But we havent done that. The question is how, right? And Ive been studying that for a few years. What Is a Christian? FASKIANOS: Thank you. And I think, Ms. Marshall, Professor Marshall, thats a very good point you raised is the question of active groups, rightactive groups is the word you usedand how religionbut the point Im going to sayI just want to include a new thing, thought here, if you may allow me. OK, so you did 1,130 nuclear bomb tests and youre a nuclear power, but you dont want us to be nuclear power? So we will circulate resources as well as a link to this webinar so you can reference it, as well as the Stimson report that Lisa mentioned. You could see vignettes of electricity, dams, satellite dishes, fighter planes, and Agni missiles sitting in temples right next to the gods. Whats fascinating here is this idea, why should India not be fighting or not be as strong to enter into nuclear power that other countries were at that moment, and how religion is supporting that idea. March 23, 2023 One is external. religion can be a source of discord in marriage, partic-ularly in the absence of religious congruence. On a more serious note, I hope it made us all self-reflectself-reflect as to how we define meaning to life. I think its a really important point, and I think one of the risks that emerged or was highlighted in the research that we were doing, particularly in the context of UN at Stimson, was around one of these tensions, and often you may see this in terms of different religious or faith organizations when it comes to efforts to advocate for different human rights within the UN system. (Laughs.) I think sometimes that slight distinction can help raise more awareness, as my colleague mentionedthats the wordraise more awareness locally as to how one may have to distinguish oneself from a group or from what they may be calling a religious political party but it might be just a political party whos using religion. . So religious leaders can actually lead a group of people. Im going to take the next question from Thomas Walsh, whos the Universal Peace Federation. Can I, please? by Lindsay Maizland And again, I defer a littlea bit back to what the special rapporteur within the UN system has reflected on. Can you ignore that religion and be friends with those politicians, or with the religious leaders, or involve them in a way in which we can have a peaceful dispute resolution? It was at this time that I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. FASKIANOS: Thank you very much to both of you. LYNAM: OK, thank you. Lets quickly talk about all three. You cant just focus on India. All right. Conflicts can be controversial, stressful, and draining. What I have learned is, first of all, on aon a light note, I love people, so what I learned is I dont want to be away from people. The only difference was the essential belief of whether there was a higher being that existed. How do we persuade more and more folks to come to belong to this peacemaking mission? So what I want to conclude on before we have a chance to hear from our other panelist is, I guess when were looking at this role of the UN in peacemaking and engaging in some of these conflict scenarios and efforts to resolve conflict, what is the role of religious actors and faith-based organizations in these contexts? More than a million Muslims have been arbitrarily detained in Chinas Xinjiang region. Roles of Religion Religious violence is on the rise. Amanda Rumsey is a sophomore at the University of Oregon in Eugene. And importantly, in looking at civil society engagement, they note the importance of promoting interfaith engagement, the importance of opposing narratives that may essentialize different parts of religious or belief communities, and the importance of faith-based leaders in terms of being influencers who can promote inclusive, peaceful, and just conflict resolutions. Weve already seen the disaster in the last few weeks on earth. Religion and Conflict Resolution . If it were not for my faith, knowledge of God, and my constant prayer, I do not know how I would have made it through that time in my life. And wepart of my questionour question to him was, looking atProfessor Tom Stipanowich, my colleague, asked the questionwas looking into the intersection of faith and dispute resolution, how faith is playing a role. If these concepts are explored from a young age, at a young mind, I think well be able to create more sustainablebecause our time is going, right? However, it is essential not to unduly overestimate the role of religion in either conflict or peacemaking to the exclusion of other factors and motivations involved. You can look at my community, look at other faith-based communities. So the next question for us is: How do we utilize peoples emotions? So these processes are not necessarily linear and may be required upon during the different stages of conflict for intervention. by Zongyuan Zoe Liu Thats my comment on that. But can there be more representation of faith in a neutral setting, in a strategic setting, where leaders from a country like India and China? Further along that spectrum we have peace enforcement, which is really more direct intervention, under Chapter VII of the UN Charter in terms of military action. Religion, Violence, and Conflict Resolution Marc Gopin 1997, Peace <html_ent glyph="@amp;" ascii="&"/> Change Every major religion of the world has expressed at some point, through its leaders and thinkers, a commitment to the value of peace, both in classical texts and modern reformulations. Copyright 1996-2023 ResourcefulInternetSolutions,Inc.Allrightsreserved. Oh, I see. If we take the example of peacekeeping missions, for instance, working with faith-based communities, working with different civil society organizations, recognizing that they have an important and influential role, I think, in garnering support for peace processes, for ensuring that different grievances are addressed. Is that somethat strikes me as a very promising sort of avenue. Great for individual, couples and group Bible study and coaching people through conflict! I believe in the other side of diplomacy, which is, how can I work with you, how can I involve you, and leave the issues that are local to them to be fixed but Ill start by building trust. I mean, let me give you quickly, from being a devils advocate for a second, what will their response be if you challenge Indias idea of whatever the idea is, a nationalist Hindu movement that you are mentioning in your comment, which many people, especially minorities will agree with, right? I hope not. I value respect for freedom of religion and in doing so for others; I hope for those actions to be reciprocated to myself. It takes effort. SINGH: Absolutely. My new college friends had mainly only encountered the more conservative Christians. Have we gone to a people in Iran and asked, how do you get persuaded? On the Significance of Religion in Conflict and Conflict Resolution 2021 Christine Schliesser, Pauline Kollontai "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. And as always, we encourage you to reach out to us to send your suggestions, comments, questions to [emailprotected]. Absolutely yes. Whichever you believe in, one thing is clear: religion is here and its going to exist. Ongoing conflicts involving Palestinians and Israelis, Muslims and Hindus, and even radical Islamic jihadists and Western. A day ago, I spoke at a symposium at my own university and we looked at howwhat we have learned from the pandemic. So, really, trying to target some of these tensions before they escalate into a context where civilians may be impacted by violence or those tensions maybe escalate into military conflict. I was raised Christian, went to Sunday school, and continue to work on strengthening my relationship with God every day. And its a pleasure to be here with the Council on Foreign Relations and those that are on the call today. So, one, lets take a look at culture and religion, how culture is bigger sometimes than religionnot alwaysand how we can influence this idea of cultureinvolvement of culture in different nations, and why we should not ignore it, especially the idea of saving face, the idea of gender, the idea of minorities in culture, the idea of just involving people as to where they are. Im Irina Faskianos, vice president for the National Program and Outreach here at CFR. 32, no. But I think the key point I would make here, as a starting point is that this context is not manipulated to the advantage of different groups to stoke the conflict further, and indeed, I think we have seen some instances where that has occurred. As a Christian, I would say our main values are community, freedom, and love. And I think a really important part of that is being open to contested ideas and debate, and conversations around some of these issues, and ultimately, the shared goal ofas Professor Singh has noted there, about peacefulness and trying to bring these into the conversations, but unfortunately, I feel like so much of itit is much easier to weaponize some of these ideas and to cut off information, which, I will say, is such an important precursor to different levels of conflict. The Ashgate Research Companion to Religion and Conflict Resolution is . So the idea, now, to come back to the role of UN: My quick idea there is we have faith communities. This one is in India. Years of thinking has been on the idea of dispute resolution, so my lens will be more towards conflict resolution and how religion plays a role there. Longer-term solutions like a cure for my disorder took some patience. 13:2). I consider myself a part of this church and I would agree with their statements. He didnt go that far, but Im trying to fill in the words, if you may. And I hope you also follow us, CFRs Religion and Foreign Policy program, on Twitter at @CFR_religion. I think in many ways they already have underserved for many of us around the world. When I was in the fifth grade, I guess you could say I had a spiritual revelation. So theres a spectrum of different tools that are available to the international community through the UN when it comes to resolving conflict and addressing threats to international peace and security. The reason is it challenges me. Imagine some of the world leaders right now if they know what empathy is. We havent used systemically faith-based communities to lobby whatever we need to lobby at the UN level, but also to give more prestige to UN, the work that UN has been doing. When I was little, I thought everything taught in church was undeniably factual and that there was no debate regarding the topics. Global Climate Agreements: Successes and Failures, Backgrounder As you say, a lot of this work is undertaken informally and there is quite a bit of engagement by different actors on the ground. Open to [] Were just getting constantly different information. So I encourage you to follow Lisa Sharlands work on Twitter at @LJSharland and Sukhsimranjit Singhs work at @Sukhsimranjits, and his website, singhadr.com. It is the argument here that the study of religion and conflict resolution will . I prayed for things to go back to the way they were. June 24, 2023, Backgrounder We see this playing out at the moment in terms of the war in Ukraine and other things as well, unfortunately. Some of the things that this research noted thatis, in terms of geography, the Middle East and North Africa region has the highest level of violations based on freedom of religion or belief, followed by the Asia-Pacific, and Europe. Thank you for your remarks and for including me in this discussion. It draws upon empirical work on global data, based on the Uppsala Conflict Data . Sorry for my indirect answer. So were delighted to have Lisa Sharland with us today to talk about Religion and Conflict Resolution. Unfortunately, Dr. Singh could not be with us. The research that was undertaken by Stimson found that the issue of violence based on religion or belief was an underexamined issue in the Security Council. And then, moving on from there, my last commentsand I want to go to more into Q&Ais going back to my piece on nuclear negotiations between India and U.S. in Cardozo Law Journal. I dont plan to go too deep into it. In India, for example, one sees the diversesorrydivisive policies like the discriminatory Citizen Amendment Act, promoted by the BJP. Im a philosophy professor at Texas Tech University and I was very interested to hear about the idea of trust-building. Learn more about CFR's Religion and Foreign Policy Program. A large number of studies focus on the role of religion in conflict, many of them relating to the destructive role of religion. January 31, 2022, How Tobacco Laws Could Help Close the Racial Gap on Cancer, Interactive Religion and conflict resolution is an area of significant importance. This is beautiful. Here is one data I found out that Im going to read for you, all right? We dont ask, we dont have awareness. I want to be a good person and do some good in my lifetime. This essay originated from a conflict resolution class assignment. FASKIANOS: Thank you. Its deep. Can we work with your leader? Conflict Resolution. So this is a fascinating concept, then. Religious-related atrocities have been highlighted and amplified of particular concern by the UN special rapporteur on this topic, in relations to violence targeting Muslims in the Central African Republic, for instance; the Muslim Rohingya communities in Myanmar; and Yazidi communities in Iraq. Two things. Religion and conflict resolution is an area of significant importance. There was debate and I had to analyze the information given to me, so I could decide for myself if this was what I truly believed in. How much do we study the impact of national culture? Thank you. My religion is Sikhism. Understanding other peoples personal journeys, which led them to make their religious decisions, can resolve conflict by exposing shared interests. Thats what a culture is. Download Free PDF Related Papers Religion Compass And Ill leave my comments there. I think conflict can easily arise around the discussion of ones faith because it is a label we give to ourselves and use to describe ourselves to the world. by Lindsay Maizland And the audio, video, and transcript will be made available on our website, CFR.org, and on our iTunes podcast channel, Religion and Foreign Policy. SINGH: OK, wonderful, by Mr. Carroll. Religion itself can be both a driver of conflict and a mechanism for fostering peace. It hurt my feelings to learn this and it made me question the character of these people I was calling my friends. Its obverse contri- bution to the advancement of social change on a nonviolent basis, however, is less well known. Dr. Singh has resolved disputes in countries throughout the world, including Canada, India, Japan, New Zealand, and U.S. states across the country. Yeah, so I did write the question down, but, one, fantastic presentation. And I think, on a related point to the inclusivity of different, I guess, groups, I really take the point there that Professor Singh made there around the representation of different religious groups in these processes, and ensuring that its not just one associated with identity or culture. The ones who are pro-life, against gay marriage, and think Jesus was white. Ongoing conflicts involving Palestinians and Israelis, Muslims and Hindus, and even radical Islamic jihadists and Western countries have heightened the awareness of the potential power of religion to fuel conflict. As a reminder, this webinar is on the record. Join Secretary of State Blinken for a discussion on U.S. foreign policy priorities and challenges on Wednesday, June 28, at 10:30 a.m. (EDT). These Christians had hurt them and led them to believe that there were no other types of Christians. `World Religions and Conflict Resolution', in Douglas Johnston & Cynthia Sampson, eds, Religion: The Missing Dimension of Statecraft. Wars start, wars end, but this mutual cooperationif this ends, we will end as a civilization and thats exactly the comments like you, I believe, people who will lead us into remaining believers, that at the end of the day we believe there are more people who believe in peace than of people who believe in war. The Security Council has recently indicated that it may be willing to engage more actively on the issue of freedom of religion as a security matter. So come back to practical point: Can religious leaders play a role? Conflict resolution needs to be practiced by all people because . Thanks, Irina. Established strategies of conflict resolution therefore often reach their limits in such conflicts. Let me read thisquote this for you: Some displays in the annual Ganapati Festival in Maharashtra, India, celebrates Indias technological progressand Im quoting itwhich is seen as a force for the betterment of people as a whole. She was previously the deputy director of defense, strategy, and national security, and the head of the international program at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. The other is religion combines us or brings us together because you are believing in a common major force in life. I just wanted to share those opening thoughts, but Im happy to take any questions going to any one of those three topics further. But I published a piece in Cardozo Journal of Dispute (sic; Conflict) Resolution on international nuclear negotiations and the impact of culture and religion on them. So you have to be very careful in not going in as an outsider and telling them, here is how you fix your country and these are three problems you have. The challenge to Russias military and leadership from the mercenary Wagner Group marks a setback to Putins stature and possibly the Ukraine war effort. It takes time. Great question. And I think this is particularly important when we consider concerns about relapse into conflict. The question here is the followingthats why I took the example; forgive melove has always sustained. The question is, can youlet me rephrase the question. Sharia guides the personal religious practices of Muslims worldwide, but whether it should influence modern legal systems remains a subject of intense debate. Ongoing conflicts involving Palestinians and Israelis, Muslims and Hindus, and even radical Islamic jihadists and Western countries have heightened the awareness of the potential power of religion to fuel conflict. Who is your leader? We had the same good character of wanting to help others and do good for the world in our lifetimes. There are many people who label themselves as Chrisitan and stand outside abortion clinics, telling medical patients that they are murderers. And there remain, of course, ongoing concerns about religious-related terrorism and violent extremism. Religion and Attitudes toward Anti-Abortion Protest. Review of Religious Research, vol. We respect one anothers differences but mainly focus on the similarities within our friendship and that was how we were able to work together past this conflict. I finally found medicine that worked for me by the beginning of high school. Were not going to take them to our deathbed. It was only after I learned their values as atheists, and their understanding of mine as a Christian, that we were able to move on in our friendship and build greater respect for one another. And then there is the personal identity of the specific negotiators who are negotiating. And, Ms. Irina, wonderful to be in your presence as well. Religion and Conflict Resolution Douglas M. Johnston * In years past, the political-military aspects of internationalrelationships have been the dominant theme. I want to talk briefly about this idea of awareness, and I want to go personal for a second. They can lead a culture of people, culture with capital C. Any times you see resistance in the world, the first resistance you see is culture because cultures have a unique way of functioning. Seeing children dying on the streetI mean, you just got to not have a heart, right? They have a unique way of working because thats what makes culture. In addition, I would say, I think from a young age we should teach empathy and listening as two skills. And I wondered, is there any reason why religious leaders cant be used across borders for that same kind of track to diplomacy track 1.5 diplomacy, whatever it is. This study explores the conditions for negotiated settlements. In fact, Ill start with an example. It was not an issue of thematic focus, unlike the discussions that have taken place in the broader membership within the UN in the General Assembly, and in the Human Rights Council. with Heidi Campbell and Paul Brandeis Raushenbush. SINGH: Ill make a quick comment. Religion, Conflict and Peace Explore the diverse and complex roles that religions play in both promoting and mitigating violence. People look up to them because they can lead a group of people, right? . Growing up, I automatically trusted and believed what we learned in church because I did not know any different. WEBB: Hello. I noticed that the things I prayed for regarding short-term things, like courage to go back to class, would always come true. So there are two ways to look at religion. And I wanted to say, I just attended a Judeo-Christian meditation group before this call and we were talking about Adam and Eve and the tree of knowledge and how it brought about many negative feelings and estrangement. They wanted respect in their freedom of choice to believe something different. I was just with Ambassador David Carden two days ago(inaudible)who served under President Obama for ASEANAssociation of Southeast Asian Nationsand we were discussing how Indonesia, Philippines, many countries in that region are heavily influenced by faith, by religion, and how negotiations change the phase, how negotiations are different diplomatically when youre dealing with a group of people that are emotionally intertwined with faith. It can cause conflict or abate it. Thats so totally missing. In fact, let me give you an example, though it is interesting. And I have no doubt this is an ongoing conversation in terms of another conflicta number of conflicts that we see around the world at the moment. I would like to hear your thoughts on how religions can contribute to conflict resolution in Ukraineobviously not simple or easyand how can we support the UN in its efforts? Yes, we havewe have the Vatican, as we all know, playing an influential role internationally in diplomatic negotiations with many connections, with many missionaries around the world, and with a powerful presence.
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