Events & Publications

Through workshops, publications and other tools, the Institute's Religion and Peacemaking Initiative seeks to promote the exchange of information and lessons learned among interested faith communities.

Since July 2000, the Religion and Peacemaking Initiative has put together several events and published several reports assessing lessons learned from the experiences of various faith-based organizations and international peacebuilding. Below are links to archived audio and video from some of these events and links to full text copies of several of the Religion and Peacemaking Initiative's most recent reports.

Photo: David Smock reads a question from the Internet during a Religion and Peacemaking workshop at the Institute.

Workshops & Other Events

Mosque & State: Religion & Politics in Iraq
Panel Discussion: April 2004

On April 21, 2004 the United States Institute of Peace and The Faith & Politics Institute cosponsored a special Capitol Hill panel discussion on the actions and reactions of politics and religion in Iraq. Moderated by David Smock, director of the Religion and Peacemaking Initiative at the U.S. Institute of Peace, the panel discussion featured presentations by Institute fellows Faleh Jabar and Amatzia Baram.

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Ijtihad: Reinterpreting Islamic Principles for the 21st Century
Religion and Peacemaking Workshop: March 2004

As the U.S. led coalition works to build a foundation for a stable and secure democratic future for Iraq, what Islamic traditions and practices can be utilized in rebuilding Iraqi civil society? How can Muslims resolve their differences of opinion without resorting to violence or repression? On March 19, 2004 the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy co-hosted a Religion and Peacemaking Workshop to explore the concept of Ijtihad and the challenge of reinterpreting Islamic Principles for the 21st Century.

Photo: A white pigeon rests on a rooftop as Muslim pilgrims below perform the sunset prayers around the Kaaba inside the Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest shrine, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 2000. (AP/Wide World Photos)

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Religious Politics in Iraq - Part II
Current Issues Briefing: December 2003

What role are religion and religious leaders playing in Iraq political developments? What place is Islam likely to be accorded in a new Iraqi constitution? As part of its ongoing work on the role of religion in peacebuilding, the Institute on December 17, 2003 hosted a Current Issues Briefing to explore some of the dynamics of religion and politics in Iraq. Moderated by David Smock, speakers at the event included Amatzia Baram, Faleh Jabar, and Ahmed al-Rahim.

Photo: The facade of the Abbas Mosque in Karbala, Iraq. (UN/DPI Photo #158378C by J. Isaac)

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Religious Politics in Iraq
Current Issues Briefing: May 2003

Critical to the process of Iraq's reconstruction is an understanding of how religious factors may bear on interim governing processes and efforts to build a stable democracy. To explore some of the dynamics of religion and politics in Iraq, on May 21, 2003 the U.S. Institute of Peace hosted a Current Issues Briefing on religious politics in Iraq. Speakers at the event included Graham Fuller, Faleh Abdul-Jabar, Rend Rahim Francke, and Kenneth Katzman.

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Waging Peace; A Two-Part Discussion of Religion-Based Peacemaking
Roundtable Discussion: April 2003

What does it take to wage peace? On April 8 and 10, 2003 the United States Institute of Peace and the Washington National Cathedral sponsored a special two-day discussion to allow participants to hear from hands-on peace activists what works at the grassroots level, then reflect with three theologians on how religious traditions evolved to embrace shared understandings of peace. On April 8, 2003, moderated by David Smock, peacemakers from the Abrahamic traditions were lead in a vigorous discussion of their religion-based peacemaking experiences around the world. The April 10 evening featured a panel of three religious thinkers, one from each of the Abrahamic traditions, in an exploration of the original elements of their religion's vision that can also be accessed within other traditions. Michael Wyatt, the Washington National Cathedral's canon theologian, moderated the discussion on April 10.

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The Role of Faith in Promoting Peace in the Middle East
Roundtable Discussion: April 2003

Can faith play a positive role in managing virulent international conflicts and building and promoting peace around the globe? On April 1, 2003 the United States Institute of Peace and the Faith & Politics Institute cosponsored a special workshop on Capitol Hill to engage participants in an exploration of the potential role for faith, and the faithful, in promoting peace in the Middle East. The workshop was co-moderated by David Smock, director of the Religion and Peacemaking Initiative at the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Rev. W. Douglas Tanner, Jr., president of the Faith & Politics Institute.

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Would an Invasion of Iraq Be a "Just War"?
Religion and Peacemaking Workshop: December 2002

With the looming possibility of an armed conflict between Iraq and the United States and its allies, the U.S. Institute of Peace hosted a special symposium to examine various aspects of the question: "Would an invasion of Iraq be a 'just war'?" Part of an ongoing series of public workshops and symposiums organized by the Institute's Religion and Peacemaking Initiative, the session featured a distinguished panel of experts on religion, ethics, and international conflict.

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Islam & Democracy
Current Issues Briefing: June 2002

The U.S. Institute of Peace and the Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy co-sponsored a joint symposium to examine the compatibility of Islam with democratic principles. Issues explored by the panel included: human rights and Islam; what the U.S. can do to promote democracy in the Muslim world; and problems confronted by democratic movements in the Muslim world. The session was co-chaired by Religion & Peacemaking Initiative director David Smock and executive director for the Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy Radwan Masmoudi.

Photo: An election banner from the Spring 2000 Iranian elections.

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The Role of Faith in Peacemaking: An Islamic Perspective
Religion and Peacemaking Workshop: November 2001

Organized by the the Institute's Religion and Peacemaking Initiative in cooperation with American University's Program on International Peace and Conflict Resolution, the session featured four leading Muslim scholars discussing Islamic perspectives on the role of faith in peacemaking. Issues examined during the event included: What are the most important issues and forces behind contemporary Islamic activism? What is the Islamic perspective on violence and its justification? How viable are nonviolent approaches to jihad? What contributions can Islamic institutions make to peacemaking? What are the most important Islamic resources for peacebuilding and what are the Islamic approaches to reconciliation and coexistence? How can common ground between Islam and the West be sought at this time? How does Islamic jurisprudence seek to prevent or regulate violence?

Photos: Snapshots of the four presenters at the Workshop on the "Role of Faith in Peacemaking: An Islamic Perspective"

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Catholic Peacemaking

Religion and Peacemaking Workshop: February 2001

What role can and has religion played in efforts to resolve international conflicts around the world? Do different religions approach peacemaking in distinctly different ways? As part of its Religion and Peacemaking Initiative, the United States Institute of Peace hosted a workshop on Catholic peacemaking. The discussion examined cases of Catholic peacemaking in the international arena and identified patterns or characteristics of these activities that can be considered distinctively Catholic.

Photos: Snapshots of the four presenters at the workshop on "Catholic Peacemaking."

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The Sources of Conflict Resolution in Judaism
Religion and Peacemaking Workshop: December 2000

Much has been written on the relationship between violence and religious militancy, but there has been less research on constructive methods of confronting religious violence. In a special presentation Marc Gopin, author of Between Eden and Armageddon (Oxford University Press, 2000), examined the sources of conflict resolution in Judaism.

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Mennonite International Peacemaking
Religion and Peacemaking Workshop: November 2000

In November 2000 a public workshop was held on Mennonite peacemaking, based upon the Institute-supported book From the Ground Up: Mennonite Contributions to International Peacebuilding, edited by Cynthia Sampson and John Paul Lederach (Oxford University Press, 2000).

Photo: Image of Menno Simons the namesake of the Mennonite Church.

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Featured Publications

Recent Books

Religious Perspectives on War:
Christian, Muslim, and Jewish Attitudes Toward War
(United States Institute of Peace Press, Fall 2002)

Jews, Muslims, and Christians with very diverse views address such issues as the just war doctrine, explaining their differences and find surprising common ground in a book by David Smock.

Interfaith Dialogue and Peacebuilding
(United States Institute of Peace Press, June 2002)

Edited by David Smock, Interfaith Dialogue and Peacebuilding features Christian, Muslim, and Jewish contributors in an exploration the formidable potential of interfaith dialogue.

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Recent Reports and Other Publications

Ijtihad: Reinterpreting Islamic Principles for the Twenty-first Century
(Special Report, August 2004)

What Works? Evaluating Interfaith Dialogue Programs
(Special Report, July 2004)

The Role of Religion in Iraqi Politics
(Newsbyte, December 2003)

Healing the Holy Land: Interreligious Peacebuilding in Israel/Palestine
(Peaceworks, August 2003)

Islamist Politics in Iraq after Saddam Hussein
(Special Report, August 2003)

Religious Politics in Iraq
(Newsbyte, May 2003)

Can Faith-Based NGOs Advance Interfaith Reconciliation? The Case of Bosnia and Herzegovina
(Special Report, March 2003)

Building Interreligious Trust in a Climate of Fear: An Abrahamic Trialogue
(Special Report, February 2003)

Would an Invasion of Iraq Be a "Just War"?
(Special Report, January 2003)

Islam and Democracy
(Special Report, September 2002)

Islamic Perspectives on Peace and Violence
(Special Report, February 2002)

Faith-Based NGOs and International Peacebuilding
(Special Report, October 2001)

Catholic Contributions to International Peace
(Special Report, August 2001)

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Other Resources:

Religion and Peacemaking Web Links & Online Resources

Previous Institute Work on Religion Ethics and Human Rights

For More Information

The initiative's director is David Smock, M.Div., Ph.D., who has been on the Institute's staff in other capacities for over 12 years. He can be reached by phone at 202-429-3843 or by e-mail at religion@usip.org. His assistant is Renata Stuebner, who can be reached at 202-429-3864 or religion@usip.org.