Why Is There So Little Shia-Sunni Dialogue? Understanding the Deficit of Intra-Muslim Dialogue and Interreligious Peacemaking

Bibliographic Data

ID3309976
AuthorsDino Krause (0000-0003-4274-9127, Uppsala University, corresponding author), I Svensson (0000-0002-1242-4180, Uppsala University), Göran Larsson (0000-0003-3343-6380, University of Gothenburg)
Year2019
Volume10
Issue10
Pages567
Publication date2019-10-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel10100567
OpenAlexW2978999052
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited38

Despite a growth in fatalities resulting from organized violence with Shia-Sunni dimensions over the last two decades, in this study, we show, using existing data-bases on interreligious dialogue and peacemaking, that only less than two percent of the interreligious peacemaking organizations in the world are specialized in dialogue between Shias and Sunnis. Why is there so little institutionalized Shia-Sunni dialogue occurring when the need for such dialogue is evident? This study identifies and discusses this lack of institutional initiatives designed to prevent violence, manage conflicts and facilitate processes of intra-Muslim de-sectarianization. We discuss what we see as the three seemingly most obvious explanations-(1) the dismissal of the relevance of a Shia-Sunni cleavage, (2) the inappropriateness of the interreligious dialogue concept in the Muslim context, and (3) the substitution of institutional interreligious dialogue by other channels. Although we suggest that the third is the most potent explanation to pursue, we do not aim to provide a comprehensive explanation for the Shia-Sunni religious dialogue deficit. Instead, our aspiration is mainly to present and substantiate a puzzle that has not been identified or discussed in previous research. This can set an agenda for a reinvigorated research endeavor into the contemporary challenges for interreligious peacemaking

Epistemology · Peacemaking · Political science · Sociology · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Philosophy · Political Conflict and Governance · Religion and Society Interactions

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