The Uprising of Religious Conflicts in The World

My heart stopped. Please don’t be another religious riot.

Growing up in India, I have learnt to equate any bizarre incident or tragedy to the ongoing religious conflict. Not because it is a real problem affecting ordinary citizens in their day-to-day lives but because the political leaders and media outlets make it out to be one. Then, eventually, feeding into their words, the ordinary citizens start to believe that the incident stemmed from a religious rivalry. This adds fuel to the existing fire and contributes to the ever-growing hate between religious communities in India. Anyway, there were no religious riots in Bangalore on September 12, 2016. The Cauvery water-sharing issue between the states, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu had caused the riots. But, when our French teacher avoided telling us the reason for the riots to not spark-up panic, everyone is the class was terrified because they assumed that it was a religious riot. That is the kind of fear a problem of this magnitude can arise in people. Yes, people are divided on the Cauvery issue as well, but nothing can beat the fear of religious conflicts among Indians.

Pew Research Center survey placed India as the fourth worst in the world among 198 countries for religious intolerance. Religious conflicts are not only restricted to this country of 1.3 billion people or even to the past century. Religion is something so personal that it becomes an essential part of an individual’s identity. Since there are so many religions in the world, the sayings of different religions clash, or the interpretations of the holy scriptures of different groups within a religion vary, and this feels like a threat to one’s beliefs. At times, the source of conflict may be religious nationalism, extremism, or fundamentalism.

In any heterogeneous society, there is potential for religious conflict. The minority religious group may feel that the majority group threatens their interests, or there might be lack of representation of the minority group in politics, or stern economic competition between the two. This leads to the formation of prejudices, social hostilities and discrimination. With all the existing tension, if a triggering event occurs, violence is instigated, and the differences between the religious groups become increasingly distinct. Often, most of the misfortunes of the society are attributed to be the doings of the current enemy group.

Distinctions made on the basis of religion are very definite. You can speak more than one language, belong to more than one nation or race, but you can be a part of only one religion. In ideological conflicts, one fights for what they think is right but in the case of religious conflicts, one fights for who they are. A person’s faith shapes their world view, ideas and social relationships. So, it is close to impossible to reach a common consensus when it comes to conflicts between religious communities.

Though causation is not the same as correlation, violence and religion are closely related to each other by some. Be it the Protestant-Catholic wars, the Crusades, the Kashmir issue, the Israel-Palestine conflict or the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, religion – an institution that serves the purpose of bringing order to society – has surprisingly been a major factor in these historical as well as current conflicts. It plays a significant role in world politics. Hence, addressing and resolving religious conflicts is a matter of utmost importance because it not only hinder the lives of ordinary people but also poses a threat to a nation’s democracy, sovereignty, and integrity. It can cause instability in a country and loss of communication between individuals and firms, which in turn can result in the stalling of technological innovations and ideas. Thus, hampering economic growth.

Religious conflicts cannot be wiped off the face of the earth due to the sensitivity of the subject matter. The 1981 United Nations Declaration on Religious Tolerance took almost four decades to negotiate and yet, it was not implemented. But they can be curbed and controlled. We must create a new understanding and awareness of religion and encourage people to increase their understanding of spirituality. Religious leaders must try to perpetuate the idea of religious tolerance and political

leaders must resist engaging in religious and discriminatory politics. School curriculums must aim to provide adequate knowledge about all the different religions so that children know of all the possible beliefs that people hold. Learning and educating oneself about various religions does not mean conversion, but betters one’s perception of other faiths.

Most importantly, we must speak up. The educated and aware citizens must disavowal the extremists, speak of the empowerment of minorities and condemn any violent acts against a religious group. It is shown that states that place strong restrictions on freedom of religions and hence, freedom of expression face higher levels religious intolerance that result in conflicts. In 2012, the Human Rights Council resolution 16/18 was implemented. It provides the international framework for “combating intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of, and discrimination, incitement to violence, and violence against persons based on religion or

belief” (Combating intolerance, 2015). It also comprises the establishment of government structures to address religious tension and promote dialogue and encourages increased willingness, on the part of political and religious leaders, to speak out against religious intolerance. The effectiveness of this resolution is still being determined.

The Universal Rights Group reports that now more than ever, there is a need for a collective and united international policy framework and response regarding religious intolerance as it has unexpectedly increased since 2012. Nonetheless, it was a step in the right direction and states are being encouraged to actively adopt the measures prescribed by resolution 16/18. Religion is not necessarily contentious. It is just that its peace-building and conciliatory aspects need to be highlighted more often.