Reimagining the Role of Religion in Building Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies: East Africa and Beyond
5-6 november 2024 Nairobi, Kenya
Workshop for scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and community.
You can download the flyer for this workshop via the button at the bottom of this page. It contains all the information on this page.
Synopsis
Religion has frequently been viewed as a problematic aspect of peace and security in domestic and international settings. Tainted by associations with conflict, terrorism, and violent extremism, religion is frequently ignored or deliberately excluded from projects aiming to build peace, democracy, and inclusive and just societies. Yet this narrative, while pervasive, is far from the full story. Religion, in all its multifaceted complexity, makes rich and diverse contributions to the goal of realizing just and inclusive societies. Excluding religious actors and factors from analysis and policy and program development limits the options we have available for pursuing peace and, worse, allows fringe and extremist groups to grow and strengthen if unchecked.
This workshop aims to break open the conversation on religion’s contribution to building peaceful, just, and inclusive societies, creating space to re-envision what these concepts look like in practice. It specifically focuses on the East African context, a region that has seen a marked spread of religion-linked extremist activities over the last two decades. Yet the workshop will also provide food for thought for policymakers, scholars, and practitioners from other regions.
Key questions to be explored include
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How are religious actors involved in pursuing inclusive societies through promoting (religious) diversity and tolerance?
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What is the impact of local and international activism on the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief on intra-, inter-, and extra-religious harmony?
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What role can and should international agencies and instruments play in local dynamics?
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What are the contributions of religious actors to peacebuilding activities such as strengthening democracy, anti-corruption monitoring, education, and gender equality, amongst others, in the East African region?
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What are ongoing challenges and impediments to realizing inclusive, peaceful, and just societies in East Africa and what possibilities exist for tackling these challenges?
The workshop will see the presentation of initial findings from fieldwork conducted examining the role of religious actors in enhancing and facilitating tolerance, diversity and inclusion in Kenya, as part of the Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action (JISRA) project, funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Participants will have the opportunity to comment and provide feedback on these findings and on policy recommendations to be developed from these findings.
Workshop participants will also hear from local practitioners and scholars on religion’s contribution to empowering women and young people, strengthening democracy, and improving peace and security.
Organization
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Dr. Fathima Badurdeen Azmiya (f.a.badurdeen rug.nl)
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Dr. Manoela Carpenedo (m.carpenedo.rodrigues rug.nl)
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Prof. Erin Wilson (e.k.wilson rug.nl)
Schedule
Zoom meeting
You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Nov 5, 2024 08:30 AM Nairobi
Register in advance for this meeting via the button below:
This button will send you to a zoom webpage.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Flyer
You can download the flyer for this workshop via the button below. It contains all the information on this page.
Last modified: | 27 September 2024 11.27 a.m. |