QN. How Religous played a Greater role on Genoside of Rwanda and Burundi?

QN. How Religous played a Greater role on Genoside of Rwanda and Burundi?

INTRODUCTION

As history shows religious faith or belief can often prove to be a much stronger force than consideration of pure self.  Interest in some circumstances people will ever sacrifice their life for their faith irrespective, whether this powerful force   work for the good or bad mankind, it would be a great mistake to think that the globalization and economization of thought has ace an religion’s importance.  Religion continues to act as one of the major aspect to peace building and conflict can often be ambiguous.  religion institution such as  churches are to be found at the heart of religious institutions failing to promote peace and even farming the flames of conflict.

Christianity has become a central part of Rwanda and Burundi culture, in Rwanda  more than 60% of the population are Catholic and another 30% are protestants with largest protestant churches including Pentecostal, seventh day, Adventists Anglicans, Presbyterians, free Methodist and Baptists.  Many Rwandan credit the catholic church with having public support the Hutu rise to power in the 1950’s and early 1960’s and the church has thus gain a great influence and public support among Hutu.  With the demise of the Monarch most of the associated religious rituals ended and Christian rituals has come to take their places.  At the same time Rwanda Christians continue to participate in certain indigenous religious practices as well veneration of ancestors remains widespread with most Rwandans continuing to have traditional funerals other traditional rites for the dead.  Indigenous healers remain common as well.  In case of Burundi about 75% are Christianity and about 5% are Muslim and the remain practices indigenous or have no religion (www.wikipedia,the free encyclopedia.com).

Definition of key term,

Religion can be defined as cultural universal whose collective expression  can be manifested in a so many different ways.  For example Christianity believe and value life and works of Jesus Christ while Muslim are also monotheistic but their belief on spiritual revelation about God in Qur’an (Koran) (Schaefer, 2008).

Religion as a matter of faith, beliefs anchored in conviction rather scientific evidence.  For instance, a new testament of bible define faith as things hoped for, conviction of things not seen (Hebrew 11:1), walked by faith not by sight (2Corith. 5:7) (Macion and Plummer, 2008)

Generally religion is defined as  a system of be defined as a system of beliefs usually involving the worship of supernatural forces.  A food example are Christians believe in God through Jesus Christ while Muslims believe in God through Mohammad.

Culture; (Clifford Geefford Anthropologist 1978), Define culture as the ideas based on cultural learning and symbols.

Culture; (Liton r. 1945 define culture as a Configuration of learned behavior and result of behavior whose compound element are shared and transmitted by  the number of the particular society.

Culture is that complex whole which include knowledge, belief, arts, morals, laws, customs,  and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society (Tylor 1871/1958,pg 1).  Tylor’s definition focuses on attributes that people acquire not through biological inheritance but by growing up in a particular society where they are exposed to a specific cultural tradition.

In generally; culture, as  design for living  the value, beliefs, behavior, practice and material objects that constitute a people’s way of life.

Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group (www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/genocide)

genocide is defined  as any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such; killing members of the group causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life, calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. (1948, United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG).

Since religion is not a cause of war or genocide but if it is go against can lead to the conflicts or death in the society as follows;

Classification; Classifying a group of people into religious classes, that can lead to classify people or distinguish them between its members of the group example us, them it can contribute to worse of culture ultimate death.  Example in case of Rwanda and Burundi if the religion group people into categories as Christian and Muslim can lead into genocide.

Symbolization; we use symbol to name and signify our classification for example if this   symbols can be used to name people of hutu,tsusi,Christian. Sometime we use physical characteristics like the cross and clothes. Both of all symbols used by religion try to classify the group of people where they belong to. So then through this process if could reach to the stage of de-humanization either in organization or genocidal government in the preparation stage will always often requires members of targeted groups in turn can lead to conflicts or genocide.

Organize mass killing; Christian may hunt Muslim led by religious leader and vise vesa.  This organization may led within church or mosque. This organization may lead to genocide and death. Also if religion participate in preparation of genocide through list of victims participation drawn of houses and making the map on how to can attack.  Also this can lead to genocide and death.

Inter ethnic conflicts; That have raged throughout some countries of Africa in large part were due to the Western influence.  They staked out colonial claims according to their own imperial interests drawing boundaries without respect to indigenous culture and age old of social organization. Today’s conflicts with the examples Sudan, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda some are related with religion influence.

Religion cause disunity in the society; Due to the fact that there are many religions which differ in terms of beliefs so people separate due to religion.  Robert Kin Merton argue that instead religion bringing about solidarity could cause disorganization.  Example catholic church support Hutu lead to the rise of power 1950 and early 1950’s.   Also Colonization was blamed for many of Rwanda's problems. Citing religion as the tool used by colonialists, this was said to have increased divisions among Rwandans. Up to the time of the genocide, certain religions were blamed for having taken sides and in exacerbating the divisions.  Another example Religion in Rwanda was said to have preached and encouraged divisions along ethnic lines. Even among the different religious organizations, there exists no unity.  People following certain denominations are not expected to collaborate with others from different denominations. Religion was reported to have created divisions even among family members, religion

Source of inequality; religion can be source of inequality within the societies; this can be seen that most of religion undermines women.  For example Islamic religion do not allow women to take higher position in their religion  an in  Christianity also some dominations do the same such as Roman Catholic do not allow women leading the congregation to perform rituals not only in congregation but also women are  not allowed to take position of pope. In case of Rwanda  religious ideology also contributed to the country’s deepening demographic problems. The majority of Rwanda’s population were Catholic. Despite Rwanda’s evident overpopulation, those in the church and government hierarchy not only refused to promote birth control programs, they actively opposed them. Radical Catholic pro-life commandos raided pharmacies to destroy condoms with the approval of the Ministry of the Interior.

Religion inhibit protests and impedes social change; By inhibiting protest and preventing changes religion may postpone reforms.  This effect of religion can contribute to the build up of explosive resentments which eventually result in revolution and in most costly and destructive changes.

Religion may foster dependency and irresponsibility; Religion often makes its followers to become dependents on religious institutions and leaders instead of developing in them an ability to assure individual responsibility and self direction.

Conservative and retard progress; It said to be conservative.  Its regarded as re- progressive and not progressive.  Religions up hold traditionalism and supports the status quo.  It is not readily emendable to change.  Example Fundamentalist argues that God attends human to live in heterosexual families rule by men.  Fundamentalist condemn  abortions an decry lesbian and gay relations.  Many people tends to change this beliefs but when meet with a personal or believes that homosexual is prohibited they fail to change him or her

Promote ematicism; Faith without reasoning is blind.  religion has often made people to become blind, dumb and deaf to the reality.  On the contrary, it has often made people to become bigots and fanatics.  Bigotry and fanaticism have led to persuasion human treatment and misery in the past.

CRTISISM

Although religion has the above disadvantage which make it to be terrible to culture and death, meanwhile religion plays a big role in the society  examples conflicts and ethnic tensions in   Sudan, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, Christian Faith has the potential and aim of promoting Human Dignity, Human Rights, Common Good, Integral Development and care for the Environment,  it  binds or unity people together,  guide human behavior for example , religion encourage  work, commercial activity, encourage International trade, brings peace between people and country as well. Also sharing religion culture by people in different countries may enhance trust and therefore, effectively transactions.

CONCLUSION

Religion are not real either cause conflicts or is rarely the root cause of conflict or genocide, because in case of Rwanda and Burundi religion has no impact on their genocide the main cause of genocide is the ethnic, political and economic and not religion. Here we take a different approach, while all conflicts have several motives with political and or economic ones generally central, mobilization frequently occurs on the basis of particular identities, and conflicts can then be classified as ethnic or religious, or class or ideological, on the basis of how people are mobilized rather than with respect to the political or economic motives for such mobilization. Consequently, here conflicts will be classified as ethnic or religious according to their main organizing identity, irrespective of the true underlying motives and objectives. A second serious problem about classifying conflicts into religious or ethnic is that there is quite often ambiguity as to whether mobilization is by religion or ethnicity, where religious and ethnic distinctions overlap. Whether a conflict is predominantly religious or ethnic may then be difficult or even impossible to determine. It may be helpful then to have a threefold distinction between religious, ethnic and mixed conflicts.

References

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Shankarao, C.N. (2006) Sociology; A Principle of Sociology  with an introduction to Social

 thought (Sixth Edition), Indian University, Regand Raindra Press

htpp://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/genocide/23^rd April,2012//14:30pm

htpp/www.elu.ed/korbel/hrkw/volume/2002/4^th May,2012/13:00pm

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