The importance of civil society

“Today, the divisiveness of a singled-out priority is increasingly based on the championing of religious - rather than national - identity, ignoring all other affiliations. The cultivation of such confrontational incitement, often aimed against the west, actually receives implicit support in the west from the increased popularity of classifying the population of the world almost exclusively by religion, or by membership of "civilisations", defined primarily in terms of religion (supplemented by the thesis that different civilisations are prone to "clash" with each other).

[...] Breadth of reach is crucial here. Even the well-meaning but excessively narrow approach of concentrating single-mindedly on the "dialogue between religions" (much championed right now) can seriously undermine other civil engagements, linked with language, literature, cultural functions, national politics, and social interactions that help to resist the exploitation of religious differences, which very often begins by undermining all other affiliations. The diversity of civil society engagements needs support, not supplanting.

[…] The focus on the civil paths to peace does not ignore, in any way, the basic fact that terrorism and homicide, no matter how generated, are criminal activities that call for effective security measures. No serious analysis of group violence can fail to begin with that basic understanding. But the analysis cannot end there, since many social, economic and political initiatives can be undertaken to confront and defeat the appeal on which the fomenters of violence and terrorism draw to recruit active foot soldiers and passive sympathisers.” Amartya Sen, “We can best stop terror by civil, not military, means”