Conflicts and Conflict Resolution in a Modern World: Espousal of Islamic Perspectives in Reconciliation in Northwest Nigeria
摘要
The modern world is a world of competing interests, ideas, values, views, ideologies, religions, and cultures—a world full of conflicting interests on all levels, between individuals and groups of people within their societies, between all sectors of societies as well as between economies, nations, and states. The rising competition among groups, individuals, and societies has influenced several conflicts on many continents across the world. Today, more than 600 million people live in conflict-divided societies. As a result, many communities and societies are being touched by a range of violence, instigating poverty, diseases, and uncertainty. The consequence of conflicts among others facilitates the involvement of various institutions, groups, and individuals in conflict resolution and management. In modern societies, Islam is among the key religions that facilitate conflict resolution in various ways and perspectives. Thus, multicultural analysis of models of conflict analysis and resolution requires an understanding of the established cultural values and norms in each society. The current debate at the academic level about religions’ role in the present conflicts and conflict resolutions requires advanced inquiry. The question of whether religion can be used in the promotion of peace and stability through mediation, resolution, and reconciliation in modern conflicts has remained a subject of debate among several academics and researchers. Thus, this chapter goes a step further into the study of the role of Islam in conflict resolution in the modern world. The potential role of religions in conflict resolution and peacemaking has become a necessary phenomenon in our contemporary world. The chapter provides a special emphasis on Muslim countries. The chapter equally analyzed selected conflicts resolved through Islamic perspectives in Northwest Nigeria. Thus, methodologically, the qualitative method was employed in data collection and analysis. Among others, existing literature was reviewed along with other empirical data from archives as the basis for the research.