The threat of religious extremism is real and well documented, but the contribution that religion can make to peacemaking—as the flip side of religious conflict—is only beginning to be explored and explicated. This selection of studies edited by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) explores and analyses a number of case studies of faith-based interventions in peacemaking. It finds that faith-based institutions can engage in some of the most pressing conflict issues, particularly in religiously based conflicts.
When communal identities, particularly religious identities, are key causal factors in violent conflict, traditional diplomacy may be of little value in seeking peace or conflict management. Two critical elements in religious life that are centrally important to peacemaking are empathy and compassion, and the value of tapping into these attributes is readily apparent in effective religious peacemaking. Traditional diplomacy has largely neglected the religious approach to peacemaking, but it could strongly benefit from using such creative contributions to complement secular peacemaking productively.
Countries examined here include Kashmir, Israel/Palestine, Iraq, Nigeria, Sudan and Macedonia. While different countries apply different methodologies in religious approaches to peacemaking, they are all studies of how religious communities and leaders joined together to resolve religious conflicts that are at least partially rooted in religious conflict.
- The Kashmiri case explores the value of interfaith dialogue in creating support for peace and reconciliation within civil society. It also demonstrates the crucial linkages between different civil society leaders committed to a common goal of peace.
- The Israel/Palestine project describes the interfaith Alexandria Process aimed at developing a religious track to peace as a complement to secular negotiations. The effort is often met by political, diplomatic as well as religious opposition.
- The Iraqi example describes the establishment and operation of the Iraqi Institute of Peace to promote interfaith reconciliation. Issues such as Women, Religion and Democracy and the Inter-religious Dialogue were particularly emphasised.
- The two Nigerian examples describe the training of religious leaders in peacemaking as well as the successful mediation between Muslims and Christians in the PlateauState that brought the conflict to an end.
- The Sudanese case describes both religious peacemaking between two ethnic groups in Southern Sudan and the project to improve Christian/Muslim relations in Southern Sudan.
- The Macedonian example describes the efforts to establish an interfaith council to promote peace and community among Macedonia’s different faith and ethnic communities, particularly in the wake of the war in Kosovo.
While each conflict situation and intervention has its own unique set of characteristics in terms of history, culture and particular orientations of religious peacemakers, some overall lessons can be drawn:
- The creation or finding of a credible local partner should be the major purpose of international actors hoping to contribute to conflict resolution. Only local partners can sustain the peace process and give it local roots.
- Linking faith-based peacemaking to secular and political processes and authorities is critical. Even the most dramatic cases of faith-based peacemaking show the importance of engaging other actors, such as the United Nations.
- Western governments need greater exposure to and interaction with religious institutions in countries where religion is a significant source of conflict. Less fear and more sophistication could allow for greater impact.
- Working with faith communities separately prior to bringing them together can be more productive. This allows for breaking down the fears, misconceptions and stereotypes and can lead to more productive dialogical peacemaking.
