The frontline is not mainly between individual religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Often it is between different groups within the same religion. Such conflicts can feed a hatred that becomes embedded in the collective memory. The fundamentalist furore often no longer makes exceptions for religious festivals like Christmas and shows no respect for places of worship. Indeed the destruction of holy places has in some cases become a deliberate act of desecration.

Europe is not entirely immune either. Alongside on-going but low level religious conflicts like the one between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland or between different parties in Former Yugoslavia there have been a growng number of proxy wars between other groups.

The caveat that wars and acts of terrorism are waged by people with power ambitions and more worldly objectives can sometimes be drowned out by the sound of battle. Well-meaning peace initiatives and ecumenical projects like those favored by the new head of the Catholic church Pope Francis do not look likely to succeed.

Is religion driving conflict? Or could it be an instrument for the resolution of conflict?

What do you think?

Write to: quadriga(at)dw.de

Our guests:

Beatrice Gründler - is head of the department of Semitic and Arabic Studies at the Freie Universität Berlin. She studied in Strassburg, Tübingen and Harvard, where she completed her P.h.D. at the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cavitations. Her main area of focus is classic Arabic literature in its social context.

Daniel Dagan – is an Israeli journalist who was born in Cairo and grew up in France and on an Israeli kibbutz. He studied politics and economics and has worked for various publications, as well as radio and TV stations in Jerusalem, Paris, Brussels, Madrid, Bonn, Washington and other capital cities. For years, he reported from Berlin for the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA), the country' s leading public radio and TV station.

Michael Lüders – Born in Bremen, in 1959, Lüders studied Arabic literature in Damascus as well as Islamic studies, political science and publishing in Berlin. His dissertation focused on the Egyptian cinema. His works include documentaries for German p ublic television and a long stint as Middle East correspondent for the “Die Zeit” newspaper. Lüders lives in Berlin, working as a political adviser, publicist and author on middle eastern issues.