Page 14 - The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand Vol.XIII-2021

The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand
Volume XIII – 2021

a special Task Force “Responsibility of Religions for Peace” was set up. Its main task
was to establish a network of contacts of religious leaders open for dialogue.

The Task Force organized two meetings in Berlin (2017 and 2018) involving many
religious leaders and bringingthem together with German diplomats. As
Africa-Director, I had the privilege to be involved in the first meeting.

The Task Force did not start from scratch. Embassies all over the world had

close contacts with religious leaders and were closely involved in selecting the
guests. On the African continent, there are many examples of religious leaders
trying to counter the use of religion for extreme violence. In 2013, two Nigerian

clerics, Imam Dr. Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa and Pastor Dr. James Movel Wuye,
received the German Africa Prize for their tireless efforts to mediate between
Christians and Muslim communities in Nigeria.

Nigeria is one of many examples where religion was involved to justify
extreme violence: The terrorist group Boko Haram is one of the most murderous

groups in modern history. Taking a position against them comes at a considerable
risk, even for highly respected religious authorities. When Nigeria’s second highest
cleric, the Emir of Kano spoke out against Boko Haram, the Central Mosque next to
his Palace was attacked soon after. Terrorists killed about 120 people and injured

260 more in the 2014 Kano bombing.

A first meeting in Berlin (2017) brought together representatives from
mainly monotheistic faiths. The second meeting (2018) was geared towards
participants mainly from Asia, including participants from Thailand. The efforts
have not ended there. In 2019, the prestigious World Assembly of “Religions for

Peace” was held with the support of the Federal Foreign Office in Lindau on Lake
Constance. One thousand representatives from more than one hundred countries
were offered workshops on various topics. Moreover, in 2020, the “Religions for

Peace” assembled again in Lindau. The “First Assembly on Women, Faith &
Diplomacy” dealt with the important role of women in conflict resolutions. This
was not limited to their role in religious communities but also in peace negotiations.
The German Federal Chancellor, Angela Merkel, gave the opening remarks of the
meeting which, due to SARS Cov2, happened mostly online. Again, many German

and other international diplomats worked as online moderators in the different

Responsibility of Religious Communities for Peace – A Role for Diplomacy? (Friedensverantwortung von
4 Religionsgemeinschaften - eine Rolle für die Diplomatie?)