In the Guardian’s religion section, renowned author, Karen Armstrong, debunks the myth that politics and religion should never mix. Her thesis would seem to be a daring one, especially amidst the growing threat of extremist groups around the world.

Yet for Armstrong, the claim is less about “should” or “should not” but a re-orientation with the idea of religion itself. She observes that, “before the modern period, religion was not a separate activity, it permeated all human undertakings” and that even today many cultures have no equivalent to the English word “religion”.

For many, in history and into the present, it is simply unimaginable to separate out the way one lives from one’s understanding of the Ultimate Reality. To do so would run the risk of living contrary to the way we are meant to live. Herein lies the rationale of something that so many dismiss as irrational. When viewed from this perspective, we might see how religions are meant to bring peace – within one’s self, one’s family and then greater society.

Dr. Hyun Jin Moon speaks at the National Faith Leaders Summit at Capitol Hill in 2011. He pointed to the essential role of faith leaders in the public square.

And yet we have rarely, if ever, seen peace in human history.

Many claim that religion is the cause of this – the cause of violence, exploitation and a long list of other abhorrent behaviors. Yet blaming religion itself is to let the believer off the hook. It suggests that believers are helpless and hapless to our past, present and future. It means that we are not free, nor are we responsible for what we do. But great people in history, from spiritual leaders, artistic and cultural giants of every civilization and the social and scientific innovators of our own time, have shown us that we are only limited by our own concepts of what we think we can be.

We need to begin to see religions for what they are and what they mean to the way we live our lives. There are points of deep connections in and between all faiths. When we engage in interfaith dialogue, we are able to articulate universal truths and shared values that connect us to the Divine across civilizations, cultures, and constructed identities.

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Participating youth and interfaith leaders of the International Multifaith Youth Assembly read their Peace Declaration in front of the National Monument of Indonesia.

“The universal principles and shared values of the world’s faith traditions  provide the essential basis for rising above conflict and building social  cohesion in diverse and multi-religious societies. They offer the antidote to the  threat of global religious wars. That is why cooperation among faith leaders is  essential for securing peace at this critical inflection point of modern history.”
Dr. Hyun Jin Moon, Chairman of the Global Peace Foundation at the Global  Peace Convention 2013

The Global Peace Foundation approach to interfaith cooperation taps into the moral authority of faith leaders as they collectively seek innovative and practical solutions to long-standing challenges to peace. In June, two interfaith programs in two very different regions of the world, Nigeria  and Indonesia, focused on cultivating cooperation and understanding among youth faith leaders. Both regions have grappled with creating cohesion in multi-faith, multi-ethnic and multi-tribal societies. Their shared challenges underscore how identity-based conflicts hinder development and thwart peace.

In Nigeria, the abduction of close to 300 girls from Chibok and the subsequent international social media campaign #bringbackourgirls has drawn attention to the bigger issue of inter-tribal, intra and inter-religious conflict. In South Asia, the move towards economic integration by 2015 has accentuated national, sub-national, tribal, racial and religious conflicts.GPF’s work is critical as it seeks to explicate universally shared values as the foundation for understanding and cooperation.

Dr. Douglas Johnston explains religious diplomacy at the Global Peace Convention 2012.

A recent blog on the Global Peace Foundation drew on the experiences of Dr. Douglas Johnston, a member of the Global Leadership Council and founder of the International Center for Religious Diplomacy (ICRD), a long-time partnering organization of GPF, to provide an up-close look at how interfaith-cooperation works. ICRD uses “Track Two diplomacy” to engage religion as a solution to religiously based conflict.

In 2007, Douglas Johnston conducted a round table with several Taliban commanders in the mountains of Pakistan. At the Euphrates Summit in 2011, he recounts that his objective at the time was “to see if we can build on religious values that we have in common to build a confidence-building measure that can point to peace.”

Significantly, Dr. Johnston does not shy away from his own Christian convictions, and he is not afraid to draw connections with Islam. At one point in the discussions, a participant stood up and confronted Dr. Johnston, “I cannot talk to you unless you are a Muslim.” To which Dr. Johnston responded, “I don’t see a problem with that. Muslim means submission to God, we all submit to God, and thus we are all Muslim.” Later that year, that same group of religious and tribal leaders became instrumental in the release of 18 Korean missionaries kidnapped by the Taliban.

This exchange illustrates what Professor Diana Eck of the Pluralism Project at Harvard University encourages as an “encounter of commitments” that becomes the basis for an “active seeking of understanding across lines of difference.” Rather than stripping away religious convictions, it is a quest to draw out the universal principles and shared values that can become the basis for cohesive, ethical societies amid diversity.

Yet, it takes a leap of faith to tread on “enemy” territory to discover common ground. It also takes clarity of understanding, as well as the courage to seek out connections that can cultivate respect and eventually, cooperation.

Muslim and Christian leaders discuss the challenges of inter-religious cooperation in Southern Kaduna State.

Retreats and assemblies such as the Interfaith Young Leaders  Retreat in Nigeria and the International Multifaith Youth  Assembly facilitate this process by providing a safe space to  explore common ground and commitments in places fraught  with tension and conflict. It is in these safe spaces among    those who are poised to shape the future as the parents,  teachers and leaders of tomorrow, we might imagine peace,  understanding, and with it, cooperation and prosperity.

Fundamental to GPF’s inter-religious efforts is the process of  discovering shared commitments to universal principles and  values. The growing network of religious and spiritual leaders  are working together based on a common platform of ideals  and setting critical precedents of character while harnessing  the innovation and resources to create lasting solutions.

Similar experiences, visceral experiences of “One Family Under God”, are vital for rising young leaders.
The Global Peace Foundation Blog appears here: Interfaith Youth Leaders in Nigeria and Indonesia Tackle Identity-Based Conflict 

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