From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Tue Jul 06 2010 - 08:26:45 EDT
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/12551
Faith leaders must be peacemakers, says Eritrean author
By Stephen Brown
6 Jul 2010
Faith leaders in Africa have a responsibility to act as peacemakers rather
than to fuel strife, says a Lutheran theologian from Eritrea.
"There are some situations in sub-Saharan Africa where religion-based
politics has unleashed violence on a grand scale," author Yacob Tesfai said
at the launch of his new book, *Holy Warriors, Infidels, and Peacemakers in
Africa*, at the Geneva headquarters of the World Council of Churches.
Still, said Tesfai, "Generally speaking, Africans have not been fighting on
the basis of religion. The question is now: 'How long will that last?'"
In the book, Tesfai examines the role of religion in conflict in various
parts of the continent, including South Africa, Sudan, East Africa, and the
Horn of Africa.
He notes that in the immediate post-independence period, many African
leaders promoted a secular ideology, sometimes based on Marxism-Leninism.
However, religion is now, "back in the open", he argues. "The
religion-dominated worldview of the African world is finding resonance with
the global resurgence of religion," and those who aspire to political power
seek to mobilise religion to reach their goal.
At the centre of his analysis is what Tesfai calls the "holy warrior", the
"militant with a religious mission", whose understanding of faith mandates
the imposition of religion onto society by force.
He quotes Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia who is now on
trial in The Hague on war crimes charges, as describing his violent
campaigns in West Africa as "God's war".
Others within the same religious community, however, may denounce such
figures as "infidels", who have twisted and deformed the norms of the faith,
notes Tesfai, a former General Secretary of the Evangelical Church of
Eritrea.
Tesfai argues in favour of "open public discourse" to deal with such
differing interpretations of faith, rather than allowing them to fan the
flames of conflict.
Both Christianity and Islam possess traditions that can help such debate, he
says.
Speaking at the book presentation last week, World Council of Churches'
General Gecretary the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit described the book as having,
"a relevance far beyond the African continent".
In his book, Tesfai says that faith leaders have a special responsibility
because they are held in "high esteem" by their followers, and are often
more respected than their political counterparts.
At times of crisis, however, they may lose their grip on the situation and,
"fall into the trap of fuelling conflicts", warns the author, who has worked
at the Institute for Ecumenical Research in Strasbourg, France, and in
Nairobi, Kenya, for the Life and Peace Institute.
If religious leaders rise to the task, "they possess resources that can be
used to offer responsible leadership", he states. "They can thus play the
role of the much needed peacemaker."
Yacob Tesfai, *Holy Warriors, Infidels, and Peacemakers in Africa* is
publsihed by Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN 978-0-230-10427-3, www.palgrave.com.
[With acknowledgements to ENI. Ecumenical News International is jointly
sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation,
the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Conference of European
Churches.]
[Ekk/3]
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