Description
Religion is an integral part of culture, of the way in which we form our self-identy. In the years since 1989 and the fall of the Soviet bloc, religion has played a key role in the renewal of ethnic violence. Yet religion is also supposed to be about peace and love of neighbour. One of the best regions of the world to examine is the former Yugoslavia. This is because it is unique in that nowhere else do Catholicism, Islam and Orthodoxy clash; it has been a region of genocidal conflict unknown in Europe since 1945; and in policy terms, it is of vital interest to the United States and its allies. At the 1999 NATO summit, the Alliance added ethnic conflict, religious extremism and ultra-nationalism to its list of critical concerns. This research into violence and religious based culture is relevant to examining several questions. How was it that groups who had hitherto lived in harmony managed to develop such violent hatreds? Was religion part of the cause of the conflict, or merely an excuse for conflict and manipulation by others? How can religion become instead a tool for peace and reconciliation, rather than violence? How can a new grassroots culture be created among ordinary citizens, rendering violence unthinkable?
