By Sabrin Kassam
“We must not kill to resolve our differences, whatever they may be. They must be resolved, as I have said, within the ethic of our faith through dialogue, through compassion, through tolerance, through generosity and forgiveness. These are the pillars on which to build a strong society in modern times – not through weapons.”
His Highness the Aga Khan, 49th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, Tajikistan 1995
Conflicts with a religious dimension are increasingly commanding global attention and have become a focal point for those working in the field of dialogue and mediation. While the role of religion in conflict is salient, focusing excessively on this relationship runs the risk of losing track of the unifying capacity of religious institutions and the work that is being done by their members to transcend cultural, religious and political boundaries. Against the backdrop of intensifying unrest between Sunni and Shia Islamic communities in many different regions of the world, it is pertinent to remind ourselves of the many initiatives from within these communities to bridge differences. What can we learn from the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim community regarding the promotion of peaceful co-existence worldwide?
Click here to read more Mediation Perspectives: The Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims in Dialogue With the World « ISN Blog.
Sabrin Kassam is a Production Assistant at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and an Intern Analyst at the geostrategic consultancy, Wikistrat. She has previously worked with the Mediation Support Team at the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich.
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