Religion, Conflict and Education

Abstract

The aim of this special edition is to explore and discuss the complex relation between religion and education. This relation can, at times, be fraught and be the focus for conflict. This special edition will highlight some of the conflicts that have arisen in different national contexts in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries and identify some of the attempts to address the causes and effects of conflict. Religion continues to be an influence on the life and lifestyle of a significant number of people throughout the world. The Pew Research Center (2012) has produced an estimate of the contemporary global religious landscape. The Center estimates that 2.2 billion of the world’s population are Christian (31.5%), 1.6 billion are Muslim (23.2%), 1 billion are Hindus (15%) and there are 500 million Buddhists (7.1%). There are 400 million Folk religionists (includes, for example, African religions and Chinese folk religions) (5.8%), 58 million following other religions, including, for example, Bahai, Jains and Sikhs (0.8%) and 14 million Jews (0.2%). There are 1.1 billion people (around one in six in the population of the world) who have no affiliation to religion (16.3%). According to the Pew Research Center, then, around 83.7% of the population has some form of adherence to religion. Although this special edition is focused on religion, conflict and education we prefix our discussion with an acknowledgement of the positive influence of religion for individuals, communities and countries in the contemporary world. Religion provides many people with purpose, hope and a sense of belonging in life and can be integral in the construction and development of their identities. Religion can motivate and inspire people to act for the good and well-being of others. Religions can have a very powerful influence in society acting as pressure groups that challenge leaders and governments over issues of social justice and equity: fighting for the rights of the vulnerable, the voiceless and the dispossessed. In the late twentieth/early twenty-first centuries this has been focused on issues such as: the just treatment of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers; the alleviation of pov