Religion and Violence
Helena Cobban is a global affairs columnist for The Christian Science Monitor, Boston, MA 02115.
The essay draws on experiences I have had analyzing conflicts both in the Arab–Israeli arena (Lebanon and Israel/ Palestine) and in Africa (Rwanda, South Africa, and Mozambique). The role of religious institutions and claimed "religious" mobilization in fomenting and perpetuating violent intergroup conflict has often been noted, but the role that religious ideas and institutions have played in helping people transcend and escape from conflicts in recent times has been less remarked. In Mozambique leaders and practitioners in the indigenous and Christian religious traditions contributed greatly to peacebuilding during and after the 1977–1992 civil war. In South Africa religious concepts and religious leadership were both central to the success of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In Rwanda, where many religious institutions were badly compromised by their actions during the 1994 genocide, other religious institutions have played a notable role in promoting social healing in recent years.