Far too easily, they absolve the religion of the ugly acts that are committed in its name, relying on the distinction between a religion and its followers. All extremism and distortion are attributed to individuals who deviate in their understanding of religion and apply its teachings wrongly. They place all the blame here and sometimes go as far as to accuse their detractors of failing to respect the sanctity of religion when someone dares to blame religious institutions and their rhetoric for these deviations.
On the other hand, others believe that religions have no role in confronting crises and solving conflicts because these religions, or their leaders, are unable to deal with matters that are essentially political and worldly – the approach to these issues differs radically from the approach to matters that are spiritual and sacred. These people believe that it is better to restrict religion to its own, special scope for individuals, based on the notion of respecting freedom of belief and religion; they favor involvement in matters connected to daily life based on a comprehensive, non-sectarian basis.
However, our region is witnessing developments – especially those connected to the Syrian crisis and its humanitarian and social consequences – that include the disintegration of the social fabric of this country and the displacement of millions of people from their homes, villages and towns. Large numbers of these individuals have sought refuge in neighboring countries, and particularly Lebanon. These developments demonstrate how urgently we need to transcend these two stances and adopt a third. This third approach should acknowledge both the danger of using religion as a tool in a struggle, as well as the role of religious institutions and authorities in reining in this phenomenon, limiting the politicization of religious discourse, and preserving its humanitarian and values-based comprehensive mission in the face of lethal sectarian and partisan conflicts. Moreover, every day we see the positive and necessary role that religious institutions can play in reaching people through their wide-scale religious networks, with the objective of defining their needs, serving them and protecting them from the dangers of extremism and violence.
In fact, religion cannot be separated from its comprehensive, humanitarian and values-based dimension without losing the meaning of its mission, and becoming an ideological project that imprisons its followers within dogmatic systems that are outside the context of history and human civilization. This applies primarily to Christianity and Islam, despite their differences. They affirm the inevitability of merging belief in God with loving people and doing good deeds. The holy texts remind that the origin of humankind is one (Adam and Eve), which renders people part of a common human family in which they are all brothers. Islam teaches that people are all the family of God. Thus, it imparts the bond of solidarity with a sacred, institutional dimension, based on the linking of all people with God: “All people are the family of God, and the dearest to the Lord is the most beneficial to his family,” according to a saying of the Prophet.
Peace constitutes a central social value that these religions call for as a part of man’s mission on the earth, and as the completion of divine will. Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). Islam links faith with love and spreading peace, according to the Hadith of the Prophet: “O people, you shall not enter Heaven until you are believers, and you shall not believe until you love one another. Do you not wish me to guide you to acts that will cause you to love one another? Spread peace among yourselves.”
This is combined with achieving justice, on the legal but also on the social level too. Justice is the social face of the value of peace; without it, the concept of peace is a hollow shell and an empty slogan. Religions have called for making justice a fundamental basis of practicing belief and implementing divine teachings. In the Quran, we read “O ye who believe! stand out firmly for God, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear God. For God is well-acquainted with all that ye do” (Al-Ma’ida, 5: 8).
In the words of the Prophet Isaiah about the awaited Messiah, we find this beautiful description, which Christians say is achieved in the person of Christ: “He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears, but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist” (Isaiah, 11:3-5).
Thus, it should be evident that we need to benefit from religious resources and the ability of this discourse to affect people, in order to encourage people to make efforts to achieve justice and peace, secure the dignity of all people, and show solidarity with those who are most in need, with no sectarian, ethnic or class discrimination. In doing so, religious communities and institutions show their concern for not only those who belong to their particular group, but also for all people as well and encourage believers to do so.
In addition, this stance prompts religious authorities to shoulder the responsibility of developing religious discourse in coherence with the value-based dimension of divine messages, as well as in an appropriate way to the circumstances and there effects, while preserving the principle that religion exists for the good of man, and not the opposite.
«Adyan» Foundation has adopted this approach since the beginning of the Syrian crisis and dealt with its consequences on this basis. It has been able to gather various religious authorities in the framework of a program to build peace through reconciliation and fostering social and interfaith resilience to confront violence and its impact. Adyan worked with Christian and Muslim authorities in Syria and Lebanon, coming together around a joint vision to confront extremism by developing educational curricula, including a faith-based approach. The work involves the development of training for preachers in a way that suits the surrounding conditions and challenges. Significantly, they collectively asked for training people active in relief and humanitarian work on the culture of respecting difference, religious diversity, and human solidarity, so that humanitarian work doesn’t become a source of discrimination and tension between various communities. Instead, it should serve as means to preserve the diverse social fabric and opportunities for reviving coexistence on the basis of respecting differences and global solidarity with all people.
In fact, religion cannot be separated from its comprehensive, humanitarian and values-based dimension without losing the meaning of its mission, and becoming an ideological project that imprisons its followers within dogmatic systems that are outside the context of history and human civilization. This applies primarily to Christianity and Islam, despite their differences