Conflict can be defined as a clash or disagreement often violent between opposing groups or individuals. The rest were filled with the violence and bloodshed of two civil wars, and the war in darfur. This course explores the role of religion, ethics, and culture in conflict and peacebuilding. The strength of the christian evangelical movement in the. The preamble to postapartheid south africas constitution of 1996 contains references to god in the form of a multilingual evocation asking for gods protection and blessing. Religious conflicts in nigeria world socialist web site. What is also true is that more than half of the nations in africa have been affected by conflicts that have led to the death of many individuals, huge financial burden to the economy, massive displacements, and hindrances to the development of african countries. For instance, bosnia, serbia, turkey and northern ireland are among the trouble parts of europe. A study by a german academic says religious conflicts in subsaharan africa have been on the rise for decades. The world economic forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Yet, from a historical and global perspective, africa has been no more prone to violent con. The genesis of the conflict and the issues at stake have been well covered elsewhere. While social divisions during the apartheid years in south africa ran primarily along racial lines, religious communities were at the forefront of both legitimizing and denouncing state actions. Chapter 5 how do religious beliefs affect politics.
The constitution nevertheless enshrines the right to freedom of religion. Resource based conflicts and political instability in. The roadmap to end the crisis including elections late 2015 presents only a shortterm answer and risks exacerbating existing tensions. For traditional muslims, religious life and personal life are intertwined, and thus political structures in this region have often reflected religious values. To have few resources at the disposal of a colossal number of people is to direct the emergence of poverty, just as ghandi of india put it.
Colonial production, extraverted and coercive as it already was, was ruthlessly reorganized to produce record amounts of primary agricultural and mineral commodities for the imperial armies and economies. It then proceeds to look at east africa, where the three religious families of traditional religion, islam and christianity are all present in large numbers. The religious war in the central african republic continues. Religion is a controversial issue in world affairs. It is also the hearth area for several of the worlds major religions. Christianity and islam are leading religious traditions each has in excess of 250 million followers in africa. With regard to conflict, the aprm has stated as one of its objectives the prevention and reduction of inter and intrastate conflict. Conflicts and causes of conflicts in africa project topics. This would aim to address structural needs and allow the positive potential of religious discourse and values to reemerge so that human relations and dignity can be rebuilt. Religion and conflict in cameroon africa is a country.
In central african republic, the conflict between armed groups is now compounded by a conflict between armed communities. See chapter 19 understanding these conflicts requires an exploration of the politics of identity. These religions have changed the global cultural landscape, but have also led to tension and conflict throughout the region. He argued that in nigeria, if a religious conflict starts anywhere, the igbo man will in one way or the other be made to bear an extra portion of the brunt of the conflict. If the inline pdf is not rendering correctly, you can download the pdf file here. Violent religious clashes broke out in the city of kaduna in northern nigeria on february 21 and have continued throughout the week. Central african republic in the southeast and northwest of car and aims to enable cohesive, self. Recurrent sectarian violence between muslims and religious aspects of the arabisraeli conflict are undoubtedly a major feature of seemingly intractable conflicts in the middle east. The transitional authorities and their international partners must address crucial issues by implementing a. It is clear to me that the organisers of the seminar had post1948 south africa in mind. Th is religious map of africa is the result of the encounters, over centuries, between the indigenous religions of the continent with the arabs and the eu.
The root causes of religious conflict in sudan between the muslim north and christian south stem from primarily political sources, including historical favoritism to northern sudanese areas, unequal political representation, and governmental oppression. Pdf religious armed conflict and discrimination in the. By application, conflict within the religious sphere compromises the peace and stability of a nation since religion is widely believed to be an important source for morality. It does not exist in a vacuum or up there in the blues but among humans. Although some scholars on conflict in africa obasanjo 1991, anyang nyongo 1991 and msabaha 1991 agree that conflict in africa stems primarily from crises of national governance and from the failure of governmental institutions in african countries to mediate conflict, this article engages the colonial factor as the root of many. And in many countries, people are more inclined to say there is not a conflict between being a devout religious person and living in modern society than to say there is a conflict. Much has been written about the ongoing conflict over the status of the southern cameroons. Conflict trends in africa, 19892017 world reliefweb. Conflicts and causes of conflicts in africa project. Conflicts between african traditional religion and. Religion and conflict case study series south africa. The religious hearths of north africa and southwest asia. Religious freedom in apartheid south africa wa saayman the topic of my article calls for some clarity on the concept of apartheid south africa. Religious crisis in nigeria causes and solutions religious crisis in nigeria is prevalent, owing to a number of reasons.
Based on a qualitative analysis of conflict in africa, this paper has identified broad types of conflict in order to understand better the conflict dynamics, causes and drivers on the continent. Religion is often depicted as a trigger factor in many conflicts. The jos crisis, book haram terrorist attacks are examples of the various religious crises that have plagued the country in recent times. It is necessary to have the perception of the basic concept of the word conflict before exploring the extensive area of conflicts between african traditional religion and christianity.
An introduction article pdf available in civil wars 154. Researcher matthias basedau says weak african states are. The number of statebased conflicts have increased in africa. However, it is apt to note that africa has no monopoly of conflict. Africa has become one of the distinct characteristics of the continent. Causes of religious conflicts in kenya religious conflict in kenya is in most cases linked to general intercommunal conflict and follows. Nigeria, if a religious conflict starts anywhere, the igbo man will in one way or the other be made. Religious armed conflict and discrimination in the middle east and north africa. Th e report provides a brief overview of the religious landscape of africa with a special focus on the role of religion in the continents several con.
Addressing religious violence in subsaharan africa. It can also be said to be an incompatibility, as of two things that cannot be simultaneously fulfilled. Since sudans independence in 1956, only 10 out of the 58 years have been peaceful. North africa was a crucial combat zone during both wars. Islam is regarded in the west as an essentially violent faith that impels worshippers to. The religious conflict is deeply rooted and had not yet been adequately addressed. As a result, there are declining numbers of followers of traditional indigenous religions and very few atheists or agnostics. Throughout subsaharan africa, christians and muslims alike express strong opposition to homosexual behavior, abortion, prostitution and sex between unmarried people. The recent attacks and the escalation of violence in the central african republic is nothing new. Researcher matthias basedau says weak african states are a major cause.
The role of religion in armed conflict and discrimination in the middle east and north africa mena is receiving increased attention as the focus of the regions conflicts shifts from nationalism. Several states in north africa and southwest asia have declared sharia law, meaning that islamic religious law applies in the court system figure \\pageindex1\. Other regions of the world are also riddled with considerable violence and social conflagration. Perpetrated mainly by a number of extremist religious groups claiming islamic or christian identity, which has escalated during the last decade, this phenomenon is becoming one of the main challenges to peace and security on the african. North africa and southwest asia is considered one of the great cradles of human civilization.
Interview a study by a german academic says religious conflicts in subsaharan africa have been on the rise for decades. Religious conflicts in nigeria and their impacts on social life dr. Incorporated as a notforprofit foundation in 1971, and headquartered in geneva, switzerland, the forum is tied to no political. Nigerias far north is not the hot bed of islamic extremists some in the west fear, but it needs reinforced communitylevel peacebuilding, a more subtle security response, and improved management of public resources lest lingering tensions lead to new violence. Religious conflict in north africa and southwest asia. No story of contemporary south africa is complete without a consideration of the religious actors in the turbulent apartheidera history of the country. What has not been clearly articulated is the role religion is playing in the conflict and the effect the conflict is having on the religious imagination in the region. Recent events in several subsaharan african countries raise concerns that religiously motivated violent conflict is on the rise. Especially in africa, religion has been at the heart of much of the contemporary conflicts. The answer is a religious conflict that has been developing in sudan for hundreds of years. We all know that africa is a diverse continent with various ethnic groups, religions, and sociocultural affiliations. The role of traditional leaders in conflict management in. Karen armstrong as we are all agreed, the conflict between the muslim world and the west is essentially political but on a popular level religion is seen as one of its root causes. In fact, religious elites often have a privileged role in conflict and reconciliation.
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