Project Religie en Conflict: leidt geloof tot strijd? VWO 4, 5 en 6

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1 Project Religie en Conflict: leidt geloof tot strijd? VWO 4, 5 en 6 Lesson plan: The role of religion in resolving the Bosnian conflict Kom op woensdag 4 november 2015 naar het leerlingensymposium over religie en conflict, of vraag een gastles aan.

2 Main aim: researching the role of religion in resolving the Bosnian conflict Level: ****( TTO, English, International School) Method: reading a text as homework, introduction by teacher, reading an article, class discussion, reflection, follow up suggestion: documentary Duration: one to two lessons (documentary additional 2 to 3 lessons) Lesson suggestion: ask students to read the background text on the Bosnian conflict and answer the questions as homework. Introduce the topic the next lesson by showing one of the Youtube clips below. Discuss the questions after watching. Let students read the article on peacebuilding in the Bosnian conflict and have them answer the questions in small groups. Focus the class discussion on the main question: what role did religion play in resolving the Bosnian conflict? Suggestion for follow up: watching the BBC documentary about Srebrenica. 1. Preparation by students (Lesson before or as home work): Read the article Background to the Bosnian conflict Summarize: who fought who? When did the conflict take place? What was the conflict about? Warning: these clips contain shocking and confronting images. I would advise you look at them before showing them to students. 2. Introduction to this lesson: clip and questions Discussion questions, ask students to watch the clips and think about: To activate any knowledge students might already have about this subject/ discuss the homework assignment: What happened in Bosnia during the 1990 s? To discuss the Dutch clip: What could explain the way this man reacts in this clip? To discuss the English clip: How does the maker of this clip try to influence our opinion about this conflict? Dutch clip: English clip:

3 3. Further discussion of homework assignment/ previous lesson (background to Bosnian conflict): Poll the students: does religion play any part in this conflict? If yes, in what way? Today we ll research what role religion has played in the building of peace in this conflict? 4. Main activity of this lesson: reading article below and group discussion about the reading questions: please see next page.

4 Reading questions: 1. The article starts with: Just because physical violence has ended does not mean that a country lives in peace. Read the first paragraph and explain in your own words what the writer means in this first sentence. 2. Read the second paragraph. What examples of informal interreligious dialogue for peacebuilding can you think of that took place recently in the Netherlands, after the Charlie Hebdo shooting? 3. Read paragraph three, four, five, six and seven. Which other peacebuilding initiatives were influenced by religion in the aftermath of the Bosnian conflict? Name four. 4. Read paragraph eight. What is the difference between peacebuilding and reconciliation? 5. Summarize this article by answering the following question: What role does religion play in trying to resolve the Bosnian conflict? Role of religion in peacebuilding in the Bosnian conflict Just because physical violence has ended does not mean that a country lives in peace. 1. With the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords, Bosnia entered what could be described as negative peace, meaning simply the absence of war(1). Significant distrust, pain and anguish still lingered across the communities(2). While former refugees moved back into their hometowns, they did not attempt to develop communal living with the people who had driven them out, rather leading separate lives in the hope that as time passed, the memories of the conflict would lessen and it would become easier to live together again(3). 2. Religious leaders have played an important role in fostering a culture of pluralism and tolerance in post-conflict Bosnia. Olivera Janovic from the Interreligious Council in Bosnia emphasises that religious leaders can have powerful influences over communities for bringing about peace(4). They are looked up to as role models and are often charismatic figures. As such, simple acts, such as religious leaders from different communities and traditions sharing a meal or a drink together in public can be immensely powerful in fostering reconciliation and peacebuilding in communities, and this small act is something that religious leaders in Bosnia have consciously engaged in(5). Such an act is an example of informal interreligious dialogue for peacebuilding. 3. An example of more formal interreligious dialogue for peacebuilding has been the establishment of Interreligious Councils in the region(6). This is a relatively recent approach to interreligious dialogue for peacebuilding, with Bosnia being the first place in which the World Conference on Religion and Peace implemented such an interreligious council(7). After a series of meetings with global religious elites (including representatives from the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Church) through to meetings with leaders of national and local religious communities in Bosnia, the Interreligious Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina was formally established in 1996, when the leaders of the four main religious communities in Bosnia met and signed a joint declaration(8). The first act of the Interreligious Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina was drafting the law on freedom of religion and belief for Bosnia in line with European standards(9). The Interreligious Council then proceeded to organise joint education sessions for priests, imams and other representatives from different religious communities about their rights and obligations under the new law. While the Interreligious Council has been successful in many ways, it has also been criticised for being too formal, focusing primarily on religious leaders which has resulted in conversation and dialogue, joint statements on moral issues, but very little

5 in the way of practical outcomes(10). This was a danger we noted at the beginning of this case that could arise from such dialogues for understanding. 4. This is why, in addition to these top-down approaches to interreligious dialogue and peacebuilding, it is so important to also have more grassroots community-driven approaches. In the years immediately following the war in Bosnia, such initiatives were difficult to establish. Civil society, which had been weak during the communist era, had almost ceased to exist as a result of the conflict. For example, when international faithbased aid and development agencies first entered the country following the cessation of hostilities in the mid-1990s, there was only a weak and limited civil society, with few local non-government organisations in existence. This meant that many international NGOs and FBOs had to implement aid and development projects themselves, rather than providing the resources and capacity building to enable local communities to develop these projects themselves(11). Such a situation can significantly hamper the effectiveness of such programs, seen as impositions by outside powers. By the early 2000s, however, local organisations, both faith-based and secular, had emerged and were able to implement interreligious dialogue and peacebuilding projects themselves, enabling a more community-driven approach to reconciliation and peacebuilding(12). 5. Another important grassroots interreligious peacebuilding initiative that has developed in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been religious education. Under Tito, religious education was banned, which contributed to weakening understanding about the different religious traditions in Yugoslavia. Since the conclusion of hostilities, efforts have been taken up by civil society organisations to reintroduce religious education. One such organisation is Association Abraham. Abraham was founded in Sarajevo in 1998 by theology students and other key stakeholders, from across the Abrahamic faiths Jewish, Christian (Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant) and Muslim. Association Abraham was very much a locally-driven, grassroots based initiative. It aims to bring together anyone who is committed to interreligious peacebuilding in Bosnia, whether they are religious or nonreligious.(13) The association organises monthly meetings, debates, lectures and workshops to encourage conversation for understanding, joint declarations and publications.(14) It has also developed curricula for the study of world religions to be taught in all high schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina.(15) 6. Other initiatives that have been driven by academics, artists and theologians include the establishment of the International Multireligious Intercultural Center in Sarajevo. In many ways unique, as it was established in the early 1990s, during the conflict and breakdown of the former Yugoslavia, the Center brought together priests, imams, representatives from the Jewish community and atheists. It sought to promote human rights and provided material assistance to the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the war itself. Following the end of the war, the Center has gained significant respect amongst intellectuals in Bosnia and contributes to public discussions through the media as well as organising its own events and spaces for communication and the exchange of ideas across different groups(16). The organisation is careful to maintain its independence from government and church hierarchies to avoid being associated with any specific political agenda(17), though its founders were in part influenced by the Catholic Franciscan tradition(18). 7. Another important civil society organisation in Sarajevo is the Islamic organisation Merhamet. This organisation was originally founded in 1913 and continued to operate up until the ban on religious organizations introduced by Tito in 1946 (19). It recommenced its activities in 1990 and continued to operate throughout the war, providing humanitarian services for victims of the war and developing significant cooperative relationships with other civil society and humanitarian organisations(20). After the end of the war, Merhamet continued to provide humanitarian and welfare assistance, particularly to the homeless in Sarajevo(21). The organisation is adamant it is purely humanitarian and provides assistance to any in need, regardless of their ethno-religious affiliations(22). As such, the organisation reflects a commitment to what may be termed faithful hospitality (23), also upheld by Association Abraham,(24) a principle that is a central

6 component of the activities of many faith-based actors working in humanitarian aid and peacebuilding(25). 8. Despite these highly committed grassroots driven organisations that have made substantial headway in rebuilding relationships across the different communities in Bosnia, results of other interreligious dialogue and peacebuilding efforts in the former Yugoslavia have been mixed. Key obstacles to achieving positive peace revolve around the need for justice that is strongly felt amongst members of the population, not wanting to relinquish their claim for justice for victims for the sake of reconciliation. As such, peacebuilding is a more popular term in the region than reconciliation (26). Truth and reconciliation commissions were established in various parts of the former Yugoslavia, modelled on the South African example, but most of these have had limited success(27). Other issues have included attempts to rebuild mosques and churches in areas that are predominantly occupied by members of a different religious community, for example, rebuilding mosques in Serb-dominated areas. These efforts have been met with violent opposition in many cases(28), indicating that there is still much to be done with regard to addressing community identities and relationships of trust across the different groups. Sources 1. J. Galtung Violence, Peace and Peace Research Journal of Peace Research, 2. Powers, op cit, p USIP. Op cit, p3 4. See also Powers, op cit, p USIP, op cit, p4 6. Merdjanova and Brodeur, op cit, p63 7. Ibid, p64 8. Ibid, p65 9. Janovic, Olivera From Deconstruction to Reconstruction of Civil Society through Interreligious Dialogue Speech delivered at the Institute for Intercultural Diplomacy, Rome. See also Merdjanova and Brodeur, op cit, p Ibid, p USIP, op cit, p6 12. Ibid, p6 13. Brajovic, Zoran The Potential of Inter-religious Dialogue in Fischer, Martina (ed). Peacebuilding and Civil Society in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Berlin: LitVerlag, p Ibid, p USIP, op cit, p7 16. Ibid, p8 17. Branovic, op cit, p Ibid, p Merhamet About Us 20. Ibid 21. USIP, op cit, p8 22. Ibid, p8 23. E.K. Wilson Be Welcome: Religion, Hospitality and Statelessness in International Protection. In Baker, Gideon (ed). Hospitality in International Political Theory. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp Branovic, op cit, p Wilson, 2013, op cit; E.K. Wilson Much to Be Proud of, Much to be done: Faith-based organisations and the politics of asylum in Australia Journal of Refugee Studies 24 (3): Merdjanova and Brodeur, op cit, p Ibid pp Ibid, pp89-91

7 5. Teacher reference for group discussion of reading questions A key insight from this case is the critical importance of local civil society and local communities to the success of interreligious dialogue and peacebuilding. While the Interreligious Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina has had significant success amongst the leaders of diverse religious traditions, this has often primarily been in the form of meetings and declarations with little practical effect. International civil society actors who attempted to implement interreligious dialogue and peacebuilding activities met with limited success while there was no local civil society organisations with which to partner. Peacebuilding and interreligious dialogue cannot be confined to formal institutional religious structures but also need to engage the entire community. 6. Possible follow up on this lesson: (two or three lessons) Watching the documentary by the BBC (as mentioned in the background article below): Link to documentary about Srebrenica: (1h 45mns)

Homework assignments: Read the article Background to the Bosnian conflict Summarize: who fought who? When did the conflict take place? What was the conflict about?

8 Homework assignments: Read the article Background to the Bosnian conflict Summarize: who fought who? When did the conflict take place? What was the conflict about? Background to the Bosnian conflict The conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina lasted for approximately 3 years ( ). It is important to bear in mind, however, that the conflict in Bosnia occurred as part of the broader conflict that resulted from the breakup of Yugoslavia as a whole, which began in and concluded in Following the end of World War Two, Yugoslavia was established as a federation made up of six constituent republics Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia and Macedonia. Serbia also had two autonomous provinces Kosovo and Vojvodino(1). This meant that while Yugoslavia was a recognised nation-state on the international stage, each republic still had its own strong sense of national identity, despite efforts by the former communist authoritarian regime to enforce a Yugoslav identity(2). The end of the Cold War and the collapse of communism, had a significant effect on this conflict. The demise of the Cold War was a major factor in the breakdown of the power structures of the former Yugoslavia and the subsequent power struggle that emerged between Serbs, Croats and Bosnians over the territories of the former Yugoslavia. Some scholars also argue that the death of Marshall Tito in 1980 was a key turning point, since his charismatic leadership had essentially held the disparate national groups in Yugoslavia together since the end of World War Two (3). After his death, and with the subsequent collapse of the Iron Curtain and the discrediting of communism in Eastern Europe, the breakdown of Yugoslavia became almost inevitable. The authoritarianism with which Tito

governed is also considered to be at least partially responsible for the breakdown into ethnic conflict, since his authoritarian leadership did not enable a sense of civic nationalism and democracy

9 governed is also considered to be at least partially responsible for the breakdown into ethnic conflict, since his authoritarian leadership did not enable a sense of civic nationalism and democracy to emerge that otherwise might have enabled the former Yugoslavia to remain unified(4). In the late 1980s, Serbian nationalist forces sought to consolidate their hold over the parliament and other institutions of power in Yugoslavia. Increasingly alarmed by Serbian aggression, both Croatia and Slovenia declared independence from the Yugoslav republic in Conflict with the Serbian-dominated Yugoslav federal army ensued, with the EU brokering a ceasefire shortly after(5). Within Bosnia itself, tensions increased between Bosnian Serbs, Croats and Muslims as each group tried to achieve its political goals Bosnian Muslims wanting an independent state, the Bosnian Serbs wanting to align with Serbia to the South and the Bosnian Croats wanting to join Croatia in the north. The situation continued to disintegrate, eventually dissolving into civil war in Throughout the next three years across the country, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and mass crimes against humanity were perpetrated by all sides involved in the conflict, the worst of these arguably being the Srebrenica massacre in July The Dayton Peace Agreement, brokered mainly by US, EU and NATO negotiators, was signed in Paris in December of the same year, bringing a formal end to hostilities in Bosnia(6). President Slobodan Milosevic of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, President Alija Izetbegovic of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and President Franjo Tudjman of the Republic of Croatia initial the Dayton Peace Accords. The Balkan Proximity Peace Talks were conducted at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Nov. 1-21, The talks ended the conflict arising from the breakup of the Republic of Yugoslavia. The Dayton Accords paved the way for the signing of the final General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Dec. 14 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. While it is easy to see the breakdown of the former Yugoslavia as a tragic but inevitable outcome of the strong and diverse national identities at play within the country and especially within Bosnia, it is important not to forget the significant role of other nations and the

10 international community as a whole that contributed to the conflict and then did little to intervene to stop it when it did occur. Michael Ignatieff has provided an eloquent analysis of the numerous factors at play in the Bosnian conflict, not least of which is the role of the international community, referring largely to bodies such as the UN General Assembly and Security Council, NATO, the European Community and the United States(7). He argues that a significant part of the problem was that in the late 1980s, the international community was still clinging to the idea of territorial integrity of already established and recognised states, rather than acknowledging the right to national self-determination of constituent groups within states. Had there been greater willingness earlier on amongst the international community to acknowledge the claims for national independence of Croatia, Bosnia and later Kosovo, then much of the bloodshed in the former Yugoslavia arguably could have been avoided(8). By continuing to support a united Yugoslavia, the international community inadvertently gave their diplomatic support to Serbian nationalists, whose goal was indeed to retain a unified Yugoslavia, but under predominantly Serbian nationalist control(9). When Europe and the United States did finally decide to intervene and formally recognise the independence of Bosnia, Slovenia and Croatia in 1992 (10), it was a case of too little too late. The Bosnian government was already under siege from Serbian nationalists and they had inadequate weaponry to defend themselves(11). Perhaps the most significant failure of the international community was with the massacre at Srebrenica, where an estimated 8000 refugees were executed by Serbian nationalist forces, while Dutch UN peacekeepers looked on(12). The BBC Documentary, Srebrenica: A Cry from the Grave provides an excellent analysis of the ways in which the international community failed the people of Srebrenica, as well as highlighting other issues that are relevant for our course the role of religion in conflict and in peacebuilding, the importance of the media and new technologies in how conflict is reported and how religion s role in conflict is represented. Link to BBC documentary about Srebrenica:

Srebrenica Potocari Memorial Arguably an additional failure of the international community was its limited understanding and approach to the role of religion in the conflict.

11 Srebrenica Potocari Memorial Arguably an additional failure of the international community was its limited understanding and approach to the role of religion in the conflict. In the 1990s, religion was still a highly marginalised topic for scholars and policymakers working in the field of International Relations, Political Science, Public Policy and Peace and Conflict Studies, disciplines that were and are critical in the shaping of principles and practices underpinning the international system and its humanitarian and peacebuilding activities. Those that did engage with religion tended to treat it as something static, unchanging, the same across all times and all places(13). As we shall see in the next section, such limited understandings of religion fail to highlight and fully appreciate the complex role of religious identities, religious institutions, leaders and communities in the conflict that erupted in the former Yugoslavia. Sources 1. BBC News Timeline: Breakup of the former Yugoslavia Available at BBC News - Accessed 25 March M. Ignatieff Blood and Belonging: Journeys into the New Nationalism. London: Vintage Books, p13 3. Ibid, p16 4. Ibid, p17; See also Brown, D Contemporary Nationalism. London: Routledge, especially Chapter One, on how the ways in which we understand nationalism impact approaches to state- and peacebuilding; Stout, J Democracy and Tradition. Princeton: Princeton University Press, especially Chapters One and Two on different types of nationalism and their implications for national cohesion. 5. BBC News. Op cit.

12 6. Ibid 7. M. Ignatieff The Warrior s Honor: Ethnic War and the Modern Conscience. 8. Ignatieff, 1995, op cit, p87 9. Ibid, p Binder, David US Recognises Three Yugoslav Republics as Independent The New York Times 8 April Available at New York Times - Accessed 25 March Ignatieff, 1995, op cit, p Corcoran, Kieran Dutch peacekeepers were responsible for death of 300 Bosnian Muslims at Srebrenica who sought refuge at UN base in 1995, Dutch court rules The Daily Mail 16 July Available at Daily Mail - Accessed 26 March E.K. Wilson After Secularism: Rethinking Religion in Global Politics, Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave, especially Chapters One and Two 14. Dayton Agreement, by U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Brian Schlumbohm. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons. 15. Srebrenica Potocari Memorial, by Dans-eng (Own work). Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

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