Although the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent War on Terror seem to have justified Samuel Huntington’s thesis of a “clash of civilizations,” there is no real split between the Judeo-Christian West and the Muslim world. Still, countless localized identity-based conflicts, often resulting in genocide, con-tinue to erupt around the world. Religion is rarely the primary cause of conflict, but it is often used to exacerbate and deepen existing divisions.

In this forum, we will examine the origin and nature of identity-based conflicts and explore the unique role of interfaith cooperation in peace-building efforts. We will highlight successful models of interfaith intervention in Mindanao, Philippines and other hotspots.

Friday, March 19, 2:00—4:00 PM
1133 19th St. NW Washington, DC
(Between Dupont Circle and Farragut North Metro)

RSVP (Acceptances Only) to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
For more information, call Gail Paine at 202-636-2870

Speakers:
Azhar Hussain is the Senior Vice President for Preventive Diplomacy at the International Center for Religion & Diplomacy (ICRD). Mr. Hussain currently heads ICRD’s Pakistan Madrasa Project, working in partnership with various Pakistani civic and religious organizations. The focus of this project is to: (1) encourage expansion of the madrasa curriculums to include the scientific and social disciplines, with a special emphasis on religious tolerance and human rights (particularly women’s rights), (2) encourage the adoption of pedagogical techniques that can promote critical thinking skills among the students, (3) teach conflict resolution and dialogue facilitation skills, and (4) equip newly-trained teachers with the skills to train other previously uninvolved madrasa leaders in the above areas. The programs Mr. Hussain has initiated have trained over 2,300 madrasa leaders throughout Pakistan to date. Mr. Hussain was named the recipient of the 2006 Peacemakers in Action Award by the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding in New York.

Dr. Gregory Stanton is currently a Research Professor for Genocide Prevention at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University. He is the founder and president of Genocide Watch and The International Campaign to End Genocide, a coalition of 25 anti-genocide, human rights, religious and civil society organizations in 11 countries. While at the State Department, Dr. Stanton authored the United Nations resolutions creating the Interna-tional Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. He is the former president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars. Dr. Stanton was instrumental in creating, and currently serves as senior advisor to the Khmer Rouge Tribunal to try surviv-ing Khmer Rouge leaders in Cambodia. He was formerly the James Farmer Professor of Human Rights at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA.