Suchergebnisse

In Nigeria, numerous journalists and scientists associate renewed religious, ethnic or economic conflicts with the return to the civil administration of 1999. The veiled war in the Niger delta, recurrence of the urban riots, the politico-religious confrontations in the northern states and on the plateau, as well as electoral violence, seem to indicate a decline of territorial control by the federal state, of increasing competition between competing juridical systems (federal law vs. Islamic law), of non-legal privatization of national police forces, and the rise of vigilant militia in the Niger delta, regularly defying federal armed forces. A comparison between the elections of 1999 and those of 2007 will be indicative, the first ones considered largely transparent, while the last elections were marked by innumerous irregularities, conflicts and several hundreds of deaths. An introduction on this issues theme of Nigeria under the reign of Obasanjo, who brought back democracy to the country, but did not change the nature of the existing conflicts. In certain cases (the delta area, and the plateau state), those were exacerbated because of the part played by newly elected officials, who are the governors and council presidents of local governments. Adapted from the source document.

This book is the outcome of a major conference held by 'Omnes Gentes' on the thematic religion, violence, and peacebuilding, celebrating the 100 years of the publication of 'Quod Iam Diu', the Encyclical of Pope Benedict XV 'On the Future Peace Conference' issued on 1st December, 1918. Authors from all continents have provided articles from their field of research and their context to illustrate the importance of religious insights and actions to promote peace in difficult times. Academics, ecclesiastical leaders, pastoral workers, and researchers from around the world, who are involved directly in the work of peacebuilding, shed light on specific contexts, historical perspective and actions, as well as inspiring prospects for the future. 'Omnes Gentes' is a collaboration of the Faculties of Theology of KU Leuven and UCLouvain, 'Lumen Vitae', and Missio-Belgium

The Saudi Arabia Between Violence and Reform by Stéphane Lacroix The two questions of reform and political violence have become the center of all discussions about the future of the Saudi kingdom Our approach here is to examine the recent evolutions that have taken place within the Saudi political-intellectual sphere in order to get better understanding of the nature and potential of the new forces invol ved on the one hand the jihadi salafi movement from its ideologues to its activists who have claimed responsibility for most of the terrorist acts committed in the king dom since May 2003 on the other hand the islamo-liberal reformist trend who has been behind most of the political petitions presented to the royal family since January 2003 The regime has up to now been reasonably successful in its fight against the jihadis while it has taken number of preliminary steps towards political social and religious change But will it prove determined enough not to rest on the laurels earned by its security successes and to continue on the path of reform

"Cet ouvrage a pour objectif de chercher à comprendre si la République centrafricaine recèle en elle dès son émergence des germes de violence ou bien si elle est un phénomène qui est extérieur à la civilisation centrafricaine. Ce livre nous permet de reconsidérer un peu l'histoire de la République centrafricaine depuis l'époque de la colonisation et celle des indépendances, pour analyser si ces époques ne couvaient pas une violence latente qui avait été refoulée dans le subconscient du Centrafricain, redevenant manifeste dans des moments similaires à ceux du passé, et qui s'expriment de nos jours de façon extrême."--Back cover

Djallal G. HeuzÉ — Indian violence at loggerheads with the imaginary
Taking as examples the recurrent drama experienced within the framework of popular Hindu and Moslem milieus, this article attempts to portray the fundamental dimensions of mass violence. Instrumentalist and structuralist theories are not denied. However, the analysed situations reveal that, within entire gaps of violence, imaginary representations and hybrid « civilisation constructions » hold a considerable place. The data related to gender and sexual tensions, the reinvention of the hero and the martyr, the appropriation of space through religious bias play major parts. The fascination exerted on crowds through confrontation is not due to taste for brutality but to the relationships that the latter entertains with the