Interreligious Conflict Resolution

Mohammed Abu Nimer

Interreligious Conflict Resolution on ICERM Radio aired on Saturday, June 18, 2016 @ 2 PM Eastern Time (New York).

Mohammed Abu Nimer

Listen to the ICERM Radio talk show, “Lets Talk About It,” for an illuminating discussion on “Interreligious Conflict Resolution,” with Dr. Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Professor, School of International Service, American University & Senior Adviser, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID).

Prof. Abu-Nimer is a Senior Advisor to King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) and a professor at the School of International Service at American University. 

At the International Peace and Conflict Resolution program he served as Director of the Peacebuilding and Development Institute (1999-2013). He has conducted interreligious conflict resolution training and interfaith dialogue workshops in conflict areas around the world, including Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Chad, Niger, Iraq (Kurdistan), Philippines (Mindanao), and Sri Lanka.

He also founded Salam Institute for Peace and Justice, an organization that focuses on capacity building, civic education, and intrafaith and interfaith dialogue.

In addition to his numerous articles and books, Dr. Abu-Nimer is the co-founder and co-editor of the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development.

Share

Related Articles

Religions in Igboland: Diversification, Relevance and Belonging

Religion is one of the socioeconomic phenomena with undeniable impacts on humanity anywhere in the world. As sacrosanct as it seems, religion is not only important to the understanding of the existence of any indigenous population but also has policy relevance in the interethnic and developmental contexts. Historical and ethnographic evidence on different manifestations and nomenclatures of the phenomenon of religion abound. The Igbo nation in Southern Nigeria, on both sides of the Niger River, is one of the largest black entrepreneurial cultural groups in Africa, with unmistakable religious fervour that implicates sustainable development and interethnic interactions within its traditional borders. But the religious landscape of Igboland is constantly changing. Until 1840, the dominant religion(s) of the Igbo was indigenous or traditional. Less than two decades later, when Christian missionary activity commenced in the area, a new force was unleashed that would eventually reconfigure the indigenous religious landscape of the area. Christianity grew to dwarf the dominance of the latter. Before the centenary of Christianity in Igboland, Islam and other less hegemonic faiths arose to compete against indigenous Igbo religions and Christianity. This paper tracks the religious diversification and its functional relevance to harmonious development in Igboland. It draws its data from published works, interviews, and artefacts. It argues that as new religions emerge, the Igbo religious landscape will continue to diversify and/or adapt, either for inclusivity or exclusivity among the existing and emerging religions, for the survival of the Igbo.

Share

Building Resilient Communities: Child-Focused Accountability Mechanisms for Yazidi Community Post-Genocide (2014)

This study focuses on two avenues through which accountability mechanisms can be pursued in the Yazidi community post-genocide era: judicial and non-judicial. Transitional justice is a unique post-crisis opportunity to support the transition of a community and foster a sense of resilience and hope through a strategic, multidimensional support. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach in these types of processes, and this paper takes into account a variety of essential factors in establishing the groundwork for an effective approach to not only hold Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) members accountable for their crimes against humanity, but to empower Yazidi members, specifically children, to regain a sense of autonomy and safety. In doing so, researchers lay out the international standards of children’s human rights obligations, specifying which are relevant in the Iraqi and Kurdish contexts. Then, by analyzing lessons learned from case studies of similar scenarios in Sierra Leone and Liberia, the study recommends interdisciplinary accountability mechanisms that are centered around encouraging child participation and protection within the Yazidi context. Specific avenues through which children can and should participate are provided. Interviews in Iraqi Kurdistan with seven child survivors of ISIL captivity allowed for firsthand accounts to inform the current gaps in tending to their post-captivity needs, and led to the creation of ISIL militant profiles, linking alleged culprits to specific violations of international law. These testimonials give unique insight into the young Yazidi survivor experience, and when analyzed in the broader religious, community and regional contexts, provide clarity in holistic next steps. Researchers hope to convey a sense of urgency in establishing effective transitional justice mechanisms for the Yazidi community, and call upon specific actors, as well as the international community to harness universal jurisdiction and promote the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) as a non-punitive manner through which to honor Yazidis’ experiences, all while honoring the experience of the child.

Share