Religion and Conflict resolution

RELIGION IN PEACEBUILDING AND PEACEMAKING PROCESSES

Symbat Abdulmalik
Conflict resolution in international relations refers to the
methods and techniques used to resolve disputes between
nations and other international actors. This can include
diplomatic efforts, such as negotiations and mediation, as
well as economic and military measures.
One of the most promising forms of conflict
management is mediation. The study of its possibilities
takes place in several directions and spheres of human
life.

Religion has the ability to harmonize interethnic,

intergroup and interpersonal relations and smooth out
contradictions, and this fact serves as a support for
building a peaceful existence and conflict prevention
in general.
 The aim of the paper is to study the mediation process in the context of
controversies with a religious aspect.

In accordance with the highlighted goal we set the following tasks:

• examine the tendency of emergence and development of conflicts with a religious

component;
• to consider religion as a cause and as a solution to conflicts with the help of case studies
• analyze the possibilities and necessity of mediation in conflicts with a religious component
in the future.

Religion is constantly in demand in the
modern world, which means that it can
be called functionally expedient. The
following functions of religion as a social
institution can be distinguished:
• First, the most unique function is consoling. Its essence lies in the
fact that belief in some higher forces helps a person to endure
difficulties and come to terms with the inevitable.
• Secondly, the educational function. It consists in the fact that
religion is able to strengthen and reinforce the action of social
norms and rules of behavior accepted in society. These norms
in any religion represent a unified system of values, norms,
rules and customs that regulate the social and personal life of a
person.
• Thirdly, religion has an integrative function. It unites believers,
contributes to the consolidation and cohesion of society. As a
result of constant interaction, people practicing the same
religion can feel themselves part of a single community, due to
which positive emotions appear: joy, sympathy, calmness,
empathy and so on.
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

The war was part of the breakup of Yugoslavia.

Following the Slovenian and Croatian secessions
from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in
1991, the multi-ethnic Socialist Republic of Bosnia
and Herzegovina – which was inhabited by mainly
Muslim Bosniaks (44%), Orthodox Serbs (32.5%) and
Catholic Croats (17%) – passed a referendum for
independence on 29 February 1992.
PA L E S T I N E A N D I S R A E L

The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and

political conflict in the Levant. Beginning in the mid-20th
century, it is one of the world's longest-continuing
conflicts. Various attempts have been made to resolve
the conflict as part of the Israeli–Palestinian peace
process, alongside other efforts to resolve the broader
Arab–Israeli conflict.
TA L I B A N I N A F G H A N I S TA N

The War in Afghanistan was an armed conflict

from 2001 to 2021. It began when an
international military coalition led by the United
States launched an invasion of Afghanistan,
toppling the Taliban-ruled Islamic Emirate and
establishing the internationally recognized
Islamic Republic three years later. The conflict
officially ended with the 2021 Taliban offensive,
which overthrew the Islamic Republic, and re-
established the Islamic Emirate.
Thank you for
your attention!