Religious Conflicts

Religious Conflicts: A Matter of Public Concern
On September 12, 2016, I sat in French class, trying to form coherent sentences in a language I was unfamiliar with to complete an essay assigned to us. All of a sudden, our teacher faced the class and announced that the Principal had instructed us to quickly make our way home. “Call your parents and ask them to pick you up. The public buses might be unsafe. Riots have broken out in Bangalore”, she said in a surprisingly calm voice. 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

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, pose 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

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 results 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. 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 the cases have 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