2013 Forums
Religion, Conflict, and Peacemaking
Salt Lake City Main Library
February 20-21, 2013
Following the 9-11 events, the relationship between religion, conflict, and violence
became the center of debate
among journalists, scholars, politicians, and others. For some time, religion, terrorism,
and violence were almost
synonymous; if religion could be eradicated, violence would disappear. Such discourse
facilitated the need for
Western society to rethink its relationship to Islam and the need for Christianity
to re-read its past in light of a long history of religious violence.
Another positive, less publicized effect of the post-9/11 discussion emphasizes the role of religion in peacebuilding. Scholars and practitioners are concerned: how can one utilize religious principles as a positive force? How can peacebuilding processes collaborate with religious communities? The University has recently developed two new programs in Religious studies and Peace and Conflict studies and is therefore in an excellent position to address the intricate relationship between Religion and Conflict as well as Religion and Peacemaking.
February 20, 2013
Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Religion and Peace in Israel-Palestine: Does it need a miracle?
Mohammed Abu-Nimer: Associate professor at the American University's School of
International Service in International Peace and Conflict Resolution in Washington,
DC, and
Director of the Peacebuilding and Development Institute. An expert on conflict resolution
and
dialogue for peace, Prof. Abu-Nimer has conducted research on conflict resolution
in the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict; more generally, his work addresses issues around interreligious
conflict
resolution and the role of interfaith dialogue in peacebuilding.
Panel Discussions
Officers Club at Fort Douglas
February 21, 2013
8:00-9:35am: Panel #1: Peace in the Middle East
Moderator: Hiram Chodosh, S.J. Quinney College of Law
Discussion and Q & A with panelists:
Amos Guiora, S.J. Quinney College of Law, Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process: A Look Back, A Look Forward
Chibli Mallat, S.J. Quinney College of Law, From Amnesty International to Right to Nonviolence: A Middle East experience in the Arab Spring (abstract)
9:35-9:45am: Break
9:45 – 11:45am: Panel #2: Peacebuilding and Cultural Values
Moderator:Muriel Schmid, University of Utah
Discussion and Q & A with panelists:
John Carlson, Arizona State University, The American Way of Religion and Violence? (abstract)
Stacey Horn, University of Illinois, Chicago, Values difference does not always equal conflict: Emerging adults’ judgments across religious identities
Zeena Zakharia, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Religion, critical praxis, and peacebuilding: Observations from a Shi'i school in Lebanon (abstract)
11:45-12:00pm: Break for lunch
12:00-1:30pm: Religious Intergroup Dialogue Lunch Session
Facilitators: Mark Owens, Chamade and David Derezotes, U of U Social Work
1:30-2:00pm: Break
2:00-4:00pm: Panel #3: Peacebuilding in Practice
Moderator: Cecilia Wainryb, University of Utah
Discussion and Q & A with panelists:
Laura Bennett Murphy, Westminster College, Contact, Connection, and Community: The role of religion in healing (abstract)
Tim Nafziger, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Christian Peacemaker Teams and Las Pavas: Partnering in nonviolent resistance to displacement (abstract)
Hiram Chodosh, SJ Quinney College of Law, Mediating Conflict in India
4:00 –4:10pm: Closing remarks by Thomas Maloney, Director of The Barbara L. and Norman C. Tanner Center for Nonviolent Human Rights Advocacy, The University of Utah