Religious Harmony and Peace
Securing Religious Freedom
In many societies throughout history, lack of religious uniformity has often been feared as a source of social unrest. In the socio-cultural, political and legal context of Britain, proactive governmental regulation and engagement is essential to maintaining a healthy balance between religious freedom and social harmony. Religious identity and practice influence voting intentions and voter turnout. It is an established fact that religion fosters citizenship and serves as a significant source of social capital. When the state performs its role properly and proportionally, it is a trusted arbiter between faith communities and provides the framework for faith communities to live out their lives as their faith enjoins them to. Consequently, this endows the civic identity and citizenship of Britain, recognising the multiple identities a person has. A faithful patriotism that encourages, equips, and enables our capacity and skills to show respect for another, building multi-faith relationships as we integrate toward ‘a more perfect union’.” This entails “the obligation, the responsibility, and intentional pledge to engage, respect, and protect the other’s liberty of conscience, without necessarily lending moral equivalency to the other’s resulting beliefs and behavior.”
The global decline in religious freedom is both a humanitarian and a strategic crisis. By taking religious freedom seriously, we can see emerging threats more clearly, and understand better how to act against them. Religious freedom should be understood not only in terms of human rights but also as a strategic issue. It should be used to help judge security risks and, where necessary, be prioritised, even if it conflicts with other short-term goals. An international religious freedom adviser should be appointed to the National Security Council. Protecting religious freedom for all must also be treated with greater urgency within the UK. Domestic policymaking should be coordinated with our international religious freedom strategy.
To initiate and promote religious harmony in their constituency, here are some key promises that:
- Establish an Interfaith Council: Promise to create a local interfaith council comprising leaders from various religious communities to facilitate dialogue, mutual understanding, and collaboration on community issues.
- Promote Interfaith Events and Festivals: Commit to organizing and supporting events that celebrate the diverse religious traditions in the community. These could include interfaith dialogues, cultural festivals, and joint community service projects.
- Support Religious Freedom and Anti-Discrimination Policies: Pledge to uphold and strengthen policies that protect religious freedom and combat discrimination based on religion. This could involve advocating for stronger hate crime laws and ensuring enforcement.
- Create Safe Spaces for Worship: Ensure that all religious groups have safe and adequate places to practice their faith. This could involve supporting the construction or maintenance of worship facilities and ensuring their security.
- Encourage Community Service and Volunteerism: Promote joint community service initiatives that bring together people from different religious backgrounds to work on common goals, such as cleaning parks, helping the needy, or disaster relief efforts.
Address Socio-Economic Inequalities: Recognize and address any socio-economic disparities that may exist between different religious communities. Work on policies that promote equal opportunities in education, employment, and housing.
Does peace have a prayer? The effect of mortality salience, compassionate values, and religious fundamentalism on hostility toward out-groups
Higher power dynamics: How meaning search and self-transcendence inspire approach motivation and magnanimity
Searching for certainty: Religious beliefs and intolerance toward value-violating groups