Introduction
The effect of religion to the lives of the society is very great. According to the recently conducted world values survey, the effect of religion to the society and in particular public life stills remains decisive. The influence of religion on public life is not only experienced in the United States but it is also experienced all over the world. The impact religion have had to the international affairs is tremendous. Since religion is an integral part of the society it should be integrated in candid conversations and global politics.
The main accomplishment of religion so far has been resolving conflict both at the local level and at the international level. There are various conflicts that have so far been resolved using religion for instance the Nicaragua conflict. It was in 1983 when Pope John Paul II was invited in Nicaragua to resolve the conflict that had hi the country hard. The country was experiencing civil war, whereby two rival groups fought against each other (David 2008). The implication of this civil war was severe and had to be resolved as quick as possible.
As a measure of revolving the conflict the government of Nicaragua worked in conjunction with the pope in a bid of resolving the country. The government of Nicaragua decided to use the pope since he was against any inhuman and unjust activities that affected the welfare of the society. By the time the pope reached the country mass killings had already occurred. For instance, in the day before the pope arrived on 15th march 1983, 17 Sandinista youth organization members were killed in an ambush by a rival group.
The pope conducted a mass at Nicaragua and after quite a while things came back to normal. After the conflict was resolved, the people of Nicaragua started to live as brothers and with peaceful co-existence. The impact that church has brought to people of Nicaragua is massive and up to date the people of Nicaragua live happily thanks to the intervention of the church. The other case where religion has been used in resolving conflicts was in the Philippines, Zimbabwe and in Germany during the World War II. In all the above cases religion successfully resolved the conflicts (Abdo 12). Hence the impact religion has on international is great and cannot be taken for granted.
Apart from resolving conflicts, religion can also be used in preventing conflict outbreak at the international level. For statecraft to be complete their must be religion, otherwise it wouldn’t be complete with its omission. This is because religion is very helpful in formulation of policymakers in societies and foreign politics. The goal of religion is to enhance statecraft by fostering for peaceful coexistence in the society.
Religion also enhances security at the international level. Religion can be used to integrate or disintegrate the society. In regions with one or more religion violence is easy break out. Religion difference can cause conflict in the society however it can be used to resolve conflicts and enhance security. For instance the religion Islam included, are working together towards enhancing security in the world by eradicating the terrorism and wars in the world.
Insecurity in the society in most case is brought about by violation of human rights. However religion has been firmly against inhuman and unjust activities. By campaigning against unjust and inhuman, religion enhance security in the world. Hence religion plays an integral role in ensuring people live peacefully. Religion stamps identity and integrity to the society through the transformation of international relations.
The influence of religion at the international level cannot go unnoticed. Religion delivers social services and human aid to victims of wars and conflict. For instance in the 9/11 United States bomb attack the contribution of religious groups was remarkable. Apart from assisting the injured, religious groups also give health care and supply food to people affected by wars and conflict.
Of late a good example on how religion has been used to prevent and resolve conflict at the international level is the Bahrain case. It all started on February 14 when North Africa Islamic states started to revolt against incumbent leaders. The first uprising started in Tunisia where civilians oust the long term president, Mohammed Bouazizi. However things did not stop at that juncture as more uprising were experienced with Egyptian and Libyan leaders also ousted in bloody revolutions.
The civil resistance then spread to the gulf religion and hit Bahrain hard. Bahrain is an Islamic states hence the uprising was a religious revolution that aimed to achieve political freedom. The people of Bahrain republic wanted to salvage their country from the dictatorship of King Hamad (Abdo 12). There was no equality in the country since the king dictated what is to been done in the country as a result the citizens were the culprits of his action. This is because the king passed various laws that abused human rights.
The Shia community which constitute majority in the Bahrain population also demanded for equality. The Shia community complained on been discriminated in housing, employment and infrastructure. The other community in Bahrain is Sunnis. Members from the Sunnis community were given preferential status. The Sunnis were given preference in housing, employment and housing. For instance, military is controlled by Sunnis who make up more than a half of the population.
Therefore as a way of expressing there anger to the government the people of Bahrain demonstrated against the government by protesting to the street. The Pearl Roundabout was the main point where the demonstrators congregated to air their views. Much to the disappointment of the protestors the Bahrain government led by King Hamad was reluctant to implement any changes (Caroline 58). Instead the government opted to use force to curb the resistance.
On realizing people were determine to overthrow the government as it has been the case of Tunisia and Egypt. The government declared a state of emergency for three months and marital laws were imposed. The government effort to curb the resistance using troops worsens things since the Shia were very determined incorporate changes in the society (Abdo 12). During the resistance many lives were lost and properties worth millions of shilling were destructed.
The police caused the death of many lives since they were very brutal when curbing the resistance. People from the Shia community were the main culprits of the government enforcement since the government belief they constituted a large number of the protestors. As a way of intimidating the Shia community from participating in the protest, police officers raided Shia regions and beat them up. On its part government denial Shia people access to medical facilities. Therefore the Shia people who were attacked by police officers were unable to access medical treatment.
The political uprising in Bahrain is an indication of how religion can be used to bring changes in the society. People can use religion to accomplish their goals in live. The Bahrain uprising can not be viewed as a source of conflict (Caroline 58). Initially the main objective of the Bahrain uprising was to bring equality in the society as the Shia demand equal privileges as Sunnis. However the government was reluctant to listen to the grievances of Shia community forcing the community to fight for their right in a way that the government could listen to them.
Religion from another point of view in the Bahrain case is a source of international conflict. Even though the Shia community was discriminated in various sectors such as housing, employment and infrastructures it should have not used conflict as a way of resolving the problem. Conflict does not solve a problem instead it creates another problem that was non existence. In the Bahrain case even though the government was discriminatory in its provision of important services, it still maintained peace in the country. But the move by the Shia community to protestor against the government was a wrong move that intensified animosity in the Bahrain.
If the Shia community would have used mediation or dialogue as a way of resolving the discrimination, conflict will not have occurred. Therefore the Shia protest was the source of the Bahrain conflict. Thus if religion is not properly used it can cause disintegration in the society. But on the other hand if religion is well used like in Nicaragua conflicts will be resolved. Hence how religion is used determine whether it is a source of conflict or a source of peace in our society.
Work cited
David Smock, religion in world affairs: its role in conflict and peace, February 2008
Abdo, Genieve; Ali, Jasim Husain, "Misunderstanding Bahrain's Shia Protesters – Predominately Shia Protesters Are Calling for Political Reform Not Alignment with Iran, Researchers Argue".Al Jazeera English, 3 April 2011
Sotloff, Steven. "Bahrain Protesters Took Back Pearl Square. What Next?" Foundation for Defense of Democracies, 20 February 2011, Retrieved 22 April 2011
Caroline Hawley. "NYC News – Two killed in Bahrain violence despite martial law". 15 March 2011, Retrieved 11 September 2011
