Blogs in the Series
The Tony Blair Faith Foundation Religion & Conflict blog series tackles a theme that is contested at a number of levels. Some quickly itemise conflicts as religious and others only when the religious dimension is arguably paramount. What characterises these early years of the 21st century is that conflicts with a religious dimension are growing in prominence and geo-political importance, if not in number. In this series, our goal is to examine some of these conflicts from a variety of perspectives while offering our readers analysis of possible ways forward to a more peaceful world.
Religion & Conflict: Introduction to the Series
Ian Linden, Director of Policy at the Tony Blair Faith Foundation introduces our Religion & Conflict blog series. The series tackles a theme that is contested at a number of levels. On the one side, there is the constant refrain that the real cause of a particular conflict is not religion. On the other, the impression, reinforced by the mass media, that religion is today the number one vector of a virus of hatred around the world...READ MORE
Malala Yousufzai, Pakistan and Religious Knowledge
Samina Yasmeen discusses religious knowledge in Pakistan in light of the attack on Malala Yousufzai — the 14 years old girl from Swat — for advocating girls’ right to education which has drawn attention to the role of religious education in creating conflicts...READ MORE
What Happened in Norway?
Jørn Lemvik discusses the tragedy which unfolded in Norway in July 2011 and what lessons there are to be learned...READ MORE
A Note on the Christian Arabs
Fouad Ajami is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution discusses Christian religious minorities in the Middle East in light of the Arab Spring...READ MORE
Communal Peace in Varanasi
Dr Priyankar Upadhyaya discusses the importance of religious peace building after a time of terrorist activity in Varanasi. He examines to this community as a model that demonstrates the choice of having difference act as a source of tension or reward...READ MORE
Divided by the same Father
Reza Aslan, Senior Fellow from the Council on Foreign Relations discusses the conflict between Israel and Palestine. He argues that the conflict has been unhelpfully framed in cosmic terms and suggests an alternative way of viewing the conflict...READ MORE
On being a guest in this world
Specifically examining examples from South Africa, Chris Chivers suggests that a shared state of mind may help usher in peace. He invites the reader to embrace the messiness of a 'both-and' approach to others and argues that people must not settle for 'either-or' approaches to religion or conflict...READ MORE
The 2011 Election Violence in Northern Nigeria
Nurudeen Lemu examine’s Nigeria’s 2011 post-election violence in Northern Nigeria, the relations between Muslim and Christian and the implications for Democracy...READ MORE
Moderating Sectarian Violence: The Case of Recent Sunni-Shia Conflicts in Indonesia
Fajar Riza Ul Haq looks at Islamisation of Indonesia, sectarian conflict, and citizenship. He argues that government should comprehensively look to deliver policy that focuses on the country’s increasing diversity and cautions against the escalation of violence...READ MORE
The Role of Religious Leaders in Colombia
Narcedalia Lozano Garza discusses the role of religious leaders and faith based organisations in the construction of peace. She argues that their involvement has triggered bottom-up dynamics that empower grassroots communities to unite, communicate, and enhance their potential for sustainable development...READ MORE
Kosovo and Conflict: The untold religious dimension
Garentina Kraja examines the conflict in Kosovo, which is usually described in only ethnic terms. She delves into the nature of the conflict, the data collected about it by scholars and argues there was a religious dimension clearly at work...READ MORE
