The global power of religion

Europe may have Christian roots, but it is not a “Christian actor” on the global political stage; its commitment is to human rights and democracy, for which it stands without stepping into “the trap of forming religious blocs”. That is what Claus Leggewie of the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities in Essen told an international forum at the German Foreign Office in November. The conference’s topic was “Religion as a global power”.

Leggewie assessed the influence exercised in international politics today by religious communities and their representatives. The Christian right in the United States, for example, has gained sustained influence over US foreign policy with its apocalyptic calls to arm against “evil empires”. Moreover, it has given development cooperation and human-rights enforcement a Christian patina. This ideology is firmly anchored in the middle and upper classes, Leggewie affirms, adding that it shares this characteristic with religious parties in newly industrialised countries, such as the Indian BJP or the AKP in Turkey.

Evangelical, “born again” Christians proselytise zealously and aggressively in failed states. Professor Leggewie finds that problematic, when, as in Nigeria, entire segments of society define themselves in terms of faith only, no longer regarding themselves as citizens of a country. “Such developments are dangerous because they lead to intolerance,” agrees Karsten Voigt, Foreign Office coordinator for German-American relations.
Leggewie believes that religions increasingly trigger, escalate and prolong conflicts. Andreas Hasenclever, professor of international politics at Tübingen University, takes a different stand: “As a general rule, the reasons for war are political and economic. Religion is not normally the cause of the fire but it can surely fuel the flames.” Often, political leaders only resort to religious doctrines when they want to legitimise violence or demonise opponents. To prevent them from doing so, Hasenclever says, it is imperative that religious elites should be separate from the state, and religious education for the people should be comprehensive.

But religion and faith are also present opportunities for peace making. The Communitá di Sant’Egidio is a good example: with more than 50,000 members of various denominations, the Communitá has made a name for itself in international conflict mediation. Its intervention smoothed the path for peace talks between the civil war parties in Mozambique. “We reaped the fruits of our conviction; we believe that people can change,” says Cesare Zucconi, a Communitá member for 30 years. Through persistent lobbying, religious communities can even help set international standards. Rüdiger Noll of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) explained at the Berlin conference that the innumerable talks held by his organisation with all the pertinent EU politicians helped to include a social clause in the EU Treaty where no such clause had been planned.

The role of Islamist terrorism was also discussed. According to Leggewie, however, unlike the Christian right, Islamists do not seek to influence Realpolitik, but rather want to eliminate government institutions. Muslim representatives expressed concern over the negative perception of Islam in the West. “True Islam has nothing to do with violent Islamism,” stressed Tayseir Mandour of the Supreme Council of Islam in Cairo, who called for intercultural and inter-religious dialogue to continue. Leggewie’s answer was: “But it must be a sincere dialogue between all religions, one which does not suppress the entanglement of religion and use of force." (For more on this issue, see D+C/E+Z 10/2007.)

Tobias Pflanz