Resources

This report offers a high-level comparative review and analysis of Muslim family laws (MFLs) in seven countries in the Greater Horn of Africa (GHoA) region that was conducted to build the case for legal reform towards justice and equality in…

In the complex world of peacebuilding , the frequent invisibility of women has become a focus of attention. The challenge is perhaps best exemplified in the important United Nations Resolution 1325, which centers on women’s roles. This report shines a…

L'inclusion des jeunes, la liberté de religion ou de conviction et la transformation des conflits sont liées ; il n'y aura pas de paix durable sans aborder les trois. Les conflits violents et les contextes fragiles donnent lieu à de…

Youth inclusion, freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), and conflict transformation are interconnected; there will be no lasting peace without addressing all three. Conflict and fragile settings are rife with FoRB violations, which act as both drivers and consequences of…

Mindanao State University-Sulu (MSU-Sulu) partnered together with the ICRC to produce the book’s translation into Tausug, a major language spoken in the Sulu archipelago and Zamboanga, among other places. Pana’ta offers guidance on important topics, such as ways to attend…

Religion is a positive force for peacebuilding and preventing violent extremisms (PVE). Indeed, religious institutions and actors play an important role in building peace yet underutilized instruments in the prevention and resolution of violent extremisms. The objective of this research…

South Sudan has been embroiled in a cycle of violent conflict since it attained independence from the Sudan through a popular plebiscite where about 99% of its citizens voted for secession – ushering in the world’s newest country in the…

The eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been plunged into a deep and multifaceted crisis for several decades. This is characterized in particular by violent conflicts between the local communities (generally ethnic) which accuse each other and…

This brief is aimed at policymakers, practitioners and donors working on PVE, conflict and peace and/or research capacity-sharing. It summarises key learnings from a PVE-focused collaborative research capacity-sharing project implemented by the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities…

As a joint learning network focused on evidence in religions and development, we (i.e., JLI) are often asked to summarize the “evidence” on religions and development. While that may seem like a simple request, it is, in fact, a complicated…

This online conference takes stock of developments relating to the engagement between humanitarians and religious actors aimed at generating greater compliance with humanitarian norms in times of armed conflict. It seeks to serve as a platform for exchange and reflection…

This paper is one of a series of research elements produced by the European Union funded AHA! Awareness with Human Action project that seeks to contribute to the response efforts of the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing conflict and building social…

The disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have challenged social cohesion across the world but with particular force across the South Asia Region. Heightened intergroup tensions are linked in historical factors and to inequalities but in the current crisis a…

This book: Discusses the roles that mosques play in saving lives and reducing losses Shows the role of imams' flexibility to help communities in need Presents point of view to see religion differently in a much broader constructive array than…

The publication explores such important topics such as how to deal with victims of armed conflict in accordance with Islamic Shariah, looks at lessons learnt from the early Islamic battles like Badr, and lays out what Islamic law says about…

This important reference work, now available to the many millions of Kiswahili speakers around the world, is divided into four chapters focusing on ways to protect civilians, the wounded, the dead, non-combatants and their property during armed conflict, as well…

Almost all religions reflect on the creation of the universe, or universes, in different forms and with varying degrees of clarity or detail. Common across most religions is an agreement that “creation” is an act of God and should be…

Promoting respectful relationships, equitable communities, child spacing and social cohesion This resource has been adapted for Gender Champions who have been trained using Tearfund’s Transforming Masculinities toolkit and are working with Muslim communities as part of the Masculinities, Faith and…

The Muslim training manual for Gender Champions in the Masculinities, Faith and Peace (MFP) project This Masculinites, Faith and Peace (MFP) manual introduces the training for Muslim Gender Champions and faith leaders. It provides a detailed activity guide for use…

Interim Guidance 7 April 2021 This document is an update of the same title published by WHO on 15 April 2020. Updates reflect the latest guidance on COVID-19 published by WHO since then, with focus on areas of transmission of…

Islam aur Takreem-e-Insaniyat ke Usool (Islam and Humanitarian Principles) is a new Urdu publication jointly produced by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Islamabad and the ICRC. Based on discussions held during a two-day National Round Table arranged by IPS…

A new Kiswahili language publication called “Utangulizi wa Sheria ya Kimataifa ya Kibinadamu ya Kiislamu” (“Introduction to International Humanitarian Law in Islam” / “muqaddimah fi ‘l-qanun ad-duwali al-insani fi ‘l-islam”), a reference work that was authored in Arabic by Professor…

On March 11, 2021, JLI held a webinar where Dr. Riham Ahmed Khafagy (Assistant Professor, Department of International Affairs, Zayed University) presented her paper ‘Faith-based Organizations: Humanitarian Mission or Religious Missionary’. In her presentation, Dr. Ahmed Khafagy compared the British…

“Prayer was the rope of survival.” “Religious needs are my primary needs.” “I wish I had been asked.” These statements were shared by displaced women in Iraq, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey in three independent, coordinated research studies in 2019 led…

The Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN) - Indonesia How this story represents an international-local faith partnership in Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL):  Internationally operating German Protestant faith-based donor organisation. Coordination by national Islamic faith inspired organisation, partnerships with Muslim…

This handbook accompanies The Mosque Management Handbook previously developed by Faith Associates. It is intended as a clear guide to help Madrassah and Mosque management successfully run their Madrassah and contains practical advice including the legal requirements, for the United…

New book published!   What can we learn from Islamic teachings that will take us closer to addressing today’s most pressing development challenges, including forced migration and refugees, safeguarding and child welfare, gender-based violence, climate change, and peacebuilding and conflict…

Interim guidance 25 July 2020 On the occasion of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha, WHO has issued interim guidance entitled "Eid al-Adha safe practices in the context of COVID-19 pandemic". The document highlights public health advice for social and…

Published in Consultation with Senior Scholars The current coronavirus pandemic has spread rapidly across the globe, completely changing people’s lives. This also includes the Muslim community, who have been affected in a variety of ways. In writing this booklet, we…

This article examines the engagement of Indonesian Islamic civil society organisations in the international arena by paying particular attention to the role of the Islamic modernist movement, Muhammadiyah. Beyond its vibrant religious and social activism in the domestic context of…

Based on collaborative research with faith groups and organisations in Nigeria, the Solomon Islands and Zanzibar (Tanzania), this paper examines faith-based forms of violent conflict prevention. It argues that faith-based approaches exist on a spectrum, from instinctive and ad hoc…

This paper sets out to explore the connections between Mahayana Buddhism and international humanitarian law (IHL). Based on the Shakyamuni’s Lotus Sutra as interpreted by Zhiyi and Nichiren, it examines how specific Buddhist ethics are related to IHL principles. From…

Though there are over half a billion Buddhists around the world, there has so far been no systematic and focused study of the interface between Buddhism and International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The core of IHL – also known as “the…

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations, announces 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Such goals promote an action plan based on three main principles of the Agenda: respect for human dignity, sustainability and…

Dealing with climate change is vital for Islamic Relief to fulfil its mission of addressing the root causes of poverty. Climate change is a threat to us all but it is already having a devastating impact on the poorest and…

This publication sets out Islamic Relief’s policy on climate change. It builds on the foundation of Islamic perspectives and scientific evidence described in the Islamic Relief Climate Change Policy of December 2014. Outlining policy messages for Islamic Relief programmes, partners…

PaRD’s SDG 16 workstream (peace, justice and strong institutions) commissioned the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities (JLI) to conduct this scoping study on partnerships with local faith actors (LFAs) for peaceful and inclusive societies. The International Partnership…

This study, conducted in South Sudan in 2017 and 2018, draws on informant interviews, focus groups, and consultations to better understand and map the religious sector in South Sudan. Its primary finding is that religious actors and institutions are the…

Islamic Relief is calling for an end to early and forced marriages by raising awareness of gender justice from an Islamic human rights perspective.

The purpose of this document is to encourage churches and Christian organizations to reflect on the structural roots of what has led to the disruption of peace in the world, and on their own current practices and priorities in relation…

JAKARTA, INDONESIA, March 5 2014. The Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI) has issued a fatwa, or edict, requiring the country’s 200 million Muslims to take an active role in protecting threatened species including tigers, rhinos, elephants and orangutans. The fatwa,…

This publication sets out Islamic Relief’s policy on climate change. It builds on the foundation of Islamic perspectives and scientific evidence described in the Islamic Relief Climate Change Policy of December 2014. Outlining policy messages for Islamic Relief programmes, partners…

This report results from a year-long study researching and analyzing gender based violence within Muslim Canadian Communities. Specifically, it looks at how the concept of honour and shame can have both negative and positive consequences with regard to either encouraging…

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a global issue that affects women and girls from different backgrounds, faiths, and races. In recent, years, there has been an increased focus on Muslims and the Muslim faith. Reyhana Patel's research has…

Fuji Technology Press, Ltd. In studies of disasters, cases of religious communities providing support to victims at times of disaster have been reported. Such support can be understood as a function of social capital within religious communities. This paper considers…

THIS IS A SUMMARY of the Religion in Conflict and Peacebuilding Analysis Guide, which is written for people working to address violent conflicts where religion plays a role in the conflict or can play a role in peacebuilding. It provides…

Association, Dissociation, Kindness, Justice and Compassion Responses to 50 faith-based arguments against peaceful co-existence and an introductory examination of Islamic textual evidence for peaceful interfaith relations See Da'wah Insititute Website

Partnering through Faith South Sudan Context and overview

The purpose of this paper was to illustrate and to assess the Islamic perspective of nutrition and food security in the light of Quran. Quran is a book of social guidance, politics, law, principles and science. This article analyzes key…

Adaption and innovation: meeting humanitarian needs in fragile and conflict contexts There is no simple roadmap for operating in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. The nature of these contexts requires constant learning, adaption and revision. And although contexts vary considerably, World…

Report developed by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children on armed violence in the community. See section 5.6.1 for the role of community and religious leaders and actors.

The impact of the Interfaith Peace Platform on the peace process in the Central African Republic Geneva Liaison Office of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) Together with Imam Oumar Kobine Layama, president of the Central African Islamic Council, and Archbishop…

To a large extent, governance capacity and community resilience explains the nature and structure of the response. In this report, three case studies – from Angola, Mali, and Honduras – of actual responses to climate change and conflict are presented.…

Brief from Musawah: a global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family, which advances human rights for women in Muslim contexts, in both their public and private lives. Also see more information on Musawah's course on Islam & Gender Equality…

In this paper, the authors examine the textual sources that form the foundation of Islam’s egalitarian spirit, consider the challenges posed by historical interpretations of these sources, and think about ways to move forward in promoting gender equity, especially with…

Policy brief from Tearfund- Queen Margaret University Research Social connections and levels of trust among displaced and settled communities in Kurdistan Region of Iraq Full article on the study

Protecting the sanctity of marriage This background paper explores the issues of early and forced marriage from an Islamic faith perspective and dismantles some potential misconceptions. It provides a case that early and forced marriage is not Islamic and promotes…

Engaging with Faith Groups to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls in Conflict-affected Communities Globally, one in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is particularly prevalent and hard to…

Brief from the Center for Security Studies in Zurich Religion is a factor in conflict and further understanding of the relationship is needed to resolve these conflicts. Challenges and opportunities in mitigating religious conflicts and effective approaches.  

Based on the Fez Process As efforts to prevent atrocity crimes and their incitement are most likely to succeed when different actors are working in collaboration, the Plan of Action also includes recommendations for other actors, including States and state…

Alliance for Peace Annual Conference: Peace Now More than Ever Session: Beyond a Leap Of Faith: Evaluative Reflections on the Practices of Monitoring and Evaluating Inter-Religious Peacebuilding October 13, 2017 Panelists Peter Woodrow, Executive Director of CDA Collaborative Learning Projects James Patton,…

The Capacity for Interreligious Community Action program (CIRCA) was a three-year capacity-building program financed by GHR Foundation and supplemented by Catholic Relief Services (CRS). The overarching goal of the program was to contribute to human development and more peaceful coexistence…

SECULARIZATION VS THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN HUMANITARIAN AID Until the late seventies secularization was understood, almost universally, to be irreversible, equated with modernization and progress. Religious institutions seemed to have lost much of their influence. Religion had little or…

The aim of the presentation is to highlight the role of faith-based actors in conflict related humanitarian response by drawing on specific experiences from Norwegian Church Aid's work and partnership with two of our many local FBO partners namely The…

This report presents the conclusion of a preliminary study aimed at shedding light on the role of Sunni Muslim religious discourse in the Syrian crisis and understanding how to assess this discourse and turn it into a tool to end…

Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security Prepared by the Soka Gakkai International October 2017 In March 2011, the northeast region of Japan known as Tohoku1 was hit by a natural disaster of enormous magnitude: The Great East Japan Earthquake.…

In Senegal, many people are uncertain what their religious traditions teach about birth spacing and family planning. the Cadre des Religieux pour la Santé et le Développement (CRSD) is an interfaith association of Senegalese faith leaders, to promote maternal and child health…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1-vR6_aucg&feature=youtu.be

World Vision Central African Republic (World Vision CAR) has been implementing a variety of social cohesion and peacebuilding programmes as a part of its larger response to an ongoing humanitarian crisis. World Vision began operations in the CAR in 2014.…

The current crisis in Central African Republic (CAR) is often framed in religious terms, with a ‘Muslim’ Seleka group seizing power in the majority-Christian country in early 2013, then with ‘Christian’ militias called the ‘anti-Balaka’ rising up to counter this.…

This manual is designed for facilitators of the ‘Do No Harm for Faith Groups: Christian-Muslim Edition’ workshop for partners. The participants in these workshops are religious leaders and faith-based organisation (FBO) staff who work closely with the host organisation. The…

This paper seeks to examine how Palestinian children’s agency integrates Islamic religious idioms in daily life to combat Israeli oppression. While children are often seen as objects that are merely subjected to political and cultural processes, this research shows that…

Partners: Tearfund and Queen Margaret University, supported by the Universities of Duhok and the American University of Kurdistan, in the Duhok Governorate Location: Kurdistan Region of Iraq Religions involved: Yezidi and Muslim research participants. Tearfund is a Christian faith-based organization. The research…

The  Review of Faith and International Affairs has just published a special series on Reconsidering Religious Radicalism See Full Journal Here   Includes the following articles: Reconsidering Religious Radicalism: An Introduction to the Summer 2017 Issue Judd Birdsall & Drew Collins Radicalism,…

Report conducted by Arigatou International GNRC and Goldin Institute (GI), on Experiential Stories of Former Child Soldiers (FCS), it is noted that the human race is losing close to 20,000 children daily on brutal wars. Children are conscripted against their…

Studies in Muslim-Christian Cooperation This publication presents case studies on interreligious action, highlighting specific approaches and tools that CRS staff members created and the networks they helped forge. They address shortcomings as well as successes and delineate lessons garnered from everyday experience. They…

This contribution from an insider Muslim author provides peace workers with a few resources from Islamic tradition that could be used when addressing a conflict rooted in an Islamic context. It presents briefly a number of basic Islamic concepts that…

Promotion of a culture of peace and interreligious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace 26 September 2016 Report of the Secretary-General The present report provides an overview of the activities that have been carried out by the main…

Quranic schools (QS) play a central role in the education system in the Islamic world. Despite their relatively small numbers, QS teachers play a major role in introducing Islamic values to the public. Thus, working with QS becomes a key…

Interfaith initiatives respond to the violence and uneasy tensions of our times and interfaith efforts aim to confront the root causes, especially those that touch on religious beliefs and practices. Interfaith work looks to identify solutions in common values and…

Islam, like all religions, strongly influences social, economic and political spheres of life. Tenets that are perceived to be Islamic shape the status of and relationship between women and men. These tenets result in women – because they are women…

Role of Religion and Religious Leaders in Farmer-Pastoralist Conflict in Plateau State: An Inter-Religious Peacebuilding in Northern Nigeria (IPNN) Qualitative Research Report In the context of persistent, low-intensity conflict, which has characterized Nigeria’s Middle Belt for the past decade, Mercy…

From analysis to action: World Vision’s journey of rapid context analysis in humanitarian emergencies This briefing explains one of the tools that World Vision has developed in order to assess contexts rapidly: ‘Good Enough Context Analysis for Rapid Response’ (GECARR).…

This report provides an overview of the engagement with faith-based actors and faith-related activities by the members of the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Engaging Faith-Based Actors for Sustainable Development

Effective Inter-religious Action in Peacebuilding (EIAP) Guide for Program Evaluation Peter Woodrow and Michelle Garred, with assistance from Diana Chigas, and contributions from David Steele and Ricardo Wilson-Grau CDA Collaborative Learning Projects The Alliance for Peacebuilding and its partners in…

Presentation from Maryam Dada Ibrahim at Faith Works Africa: Partnerships for Peace and Prosperity on Conflict Prevention, Migration and Counter Violent Extremism. Includes next steps and recommendations in engaging faith based groups.

Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP), in collaboration with CDA Collaborative Learning and Search for Common Ground (SFCG) recently convened a group of 30 leading experts to discuss how to better measure the effectiveness of inter-and intra-religious action for peacebuilding. The meeting…

A multidisciplinary work that touches on law, religion, politics, and gender studies to explore the issue of domestic violence in Islam. To download "Domestic Violence and the Islamic Tradition: Ethics, Law and the Muslim Discourse on Gender", click here: http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199640164.do#.UfFTUxYkOMM

Click here to read what IMA World Health is doing related to Faith-Based Organization (FBO) Engagement: http://imaworldhealth.org/faith-based-organization-fbo-engagement/

The recent outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa brought great loss of life and health. The world has responded with great care and attention and the people of impacted countries have shown resilience during these difficult times.…

Statement from FBOs regarding unmentioned faith in the Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030 during WCDRR 2015 in Sendai Japan. To see the document, and other publications by the Humanitarian Forum Indonesia, click here: http://www.humanitarianforumindonesia.org/Download/SeminarMaterial.aspx

The Syria crisis alone is the worst humanitarian crisis since the second world war. The following eBook, shows a basic  explanation of the refugee crisis, how life as a refugee destroys children's future and steps anyone can take to make a difference. To…

This case study provides an overview of how a peace movement led by lay religious women inspired people across ethnic and religious lines and helped bring an end to the Second Liberian Civil War (1999-2003). The study examines this Liberian…

Since the conflict began, more than 1,900 Palestinians – including women and children – have died and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes. Over 1.5 million people are without reliable access to basic services and the public health system…

This report, published with the Cambridge Institute on Religion and International Studies (CIRIS), offers background on the January 2016 Marrakesh Declaration on the Rights of Minorities in Predominantly Muslim Majority Communities. Muslim scholars and politicians issued the Marrakesh Declaration as…

Islamic Relief report, Invisible Lives, outlining how a lack of livelihoods options, chronic underfunding and the threat of violence, is making life difficult for Syrian women refugees living in neighboring Iraq and Lebanon.

The case study reviews the religious landscape in Kenya and provides an overview of the various types of violence, pointing to the complex overlapping of ethnicity and religion. The difference between types of conflict and their causes are explored, with…

This article explores the role of Religious Leader Engagement (RLE), a capability under development in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and operational focus of the CAF Chaplain Branch. It stands as a recent contribution to the Comprehensive Approach. Full length…