Beyond the Altar: Faith-Based Organisations Navigate the Politics of Healing

(Photo/Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation)

By Sneha Shree Saikia

Religion can foster peace and moral anchoring, but when politicized, it can quickly become an excuse for conflict and division.

Religion-based conflicts are not relics of the past; the last 25 years alone have been marked by recurring outbreaks of violence fueled by faith and identity. In Iraq in 2013, sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shia Muslim communities killed over 2,500 people. In Nigeria since 2009, Boko Haram and splinter groups like Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) have attacked both churches and mosques, displacing over 2 million people. Rising Hindu nationalism in India has exacerbated historical divisions between Hindus and Muslims.

While religious divides may not always erupt into outright war, persistent tensions, from hate speech and political provocation to periodic outbreaks of violence, continue to cost lives and fray the fabric of everyday trust.

Yet faith can also facilitate reconciliation. Faith-based organizations (FBOs), rooted in religious teachings, navigate faith and politics in conflict resolution. FBOs are deeply embedded in local, national, and international networks, which earns them legitimacy and trust with those who share their values. These organizations can act as credible mediators in communities where secular actors may not be welcomed.

Nigeria offers a salient example. The Global Peace Foundation (GPF), a non-sectarian FBO, actively engages people of all faiths to facilitate cooperation. In Kaduna State, long torn by Christian-Muslim violence, GPF rebuilds trust and resilience through sustained interfaith dialogues, joint service projects, and community festivals that honor different religious traditions. GPF creates spaces for Muslims and Christians to interact as neighbors, whether cleaning cemeteries, playing football, or celebrating festivals together, which has fostered a shift from mistrust to collaboration. 

The role of FBOs is not unique to Nigeria. Interfaith groups in Iraq, such as Stand With Iraqi Christians, have supported displaced Christian communities with livelihood grants and interfaith education. Meanwhile, the Ur for Interfaith Dialogue brings together young Iraqis from different faiths to visit sacred sites, participate in facilitated meetings with diverse religious leaders, and build a sustained inter-religious youth network. Similar organizations exist across the region, like Relief & Reconciliation for Syria, that combines peacebuilding with humanitarian aid. In each context, faith is used to bridge suspicion and motivate practical cooperation.

Across regions, FBOs leverage religious legitimacy and local trust to promote dialogue, reconciliation, and social healing. However, FBOs are far from perfect. In a world where religion is deeply politicized, FBOs might not always lead to peace.

During the wars in Yugoslavia, particularly the Bosnian conflict, Christian FBOs focused relief efforts primarily towards their own ethnic-religious groups (Croats and Serbs), while largely excluding Bosniak Muslims. In the Syrian civil war, few Christian and Alawite-affiliated groups have been criticized for channeling aid disproportionately to their own constituencies, such as Christian villages or Alawite areas, while Sunni Muslim communities often received less support. This sectarian bias deepened existing communal divisions and hindered inclusive humanitarian efforts. These choices widened social fault lines instead of fostering intergroup reconciliation and peacebuilding.

These examples are, unfortunately, not rare phenomena. In 2020, CHS Alliance released a report showing that organizations of all types—including secular and faith-based—sometimes prioritize institutional or ideological agendas over needs-based aid delivery. This underscores the continuing need for stronger accountability and adherence to humanitarian principles in FBOs to ensure equitable and effective assistance. Otherwise, they risk reinforcing sectarian silos, as seen in the Bosnian conflict, further marginalizing groups or aiding dogmatic provocations to swing into action.

Faith-based organizations (FBOs) must adopt a highly nuanced approach for effective peacebuilding. Success depends on two critical conditions: first, grounding their strategies in local realities, and second, building strong partnerships with international and local actors.

In Nigeria, the GPF has shaped this by facilitating regular “peace hubs,” cross-community forums, and experience-sharing workshops where diverse voices steer reconciliation, rather than top-down doctrine. Another notable example is the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), which delivered aid impartially in Sarajevo during the Yugoslav wars, regardless of the religious background of the recipients.

Faith-based organizations should leverage their religious and regional awareness to lead peace efforts while targeting strategic partnerships. Increasingly, FBOs partner with the United Nations, regional bodies, secular NGOs, and governments—collaborations that pool resources, deepen legitimacy, and amplify impact. This combined approach can foster more sustainable, locally owned peace processes that bridge divides rather than deepen them.

Ultimately, the peacebuilding potential of FBOs is a two-sided coin: when wielded with insight and inclusivity, it can heal deep wounds; handled without care, it may deepen divides. Only through humility, grounded partnerships, and a relentless focus on shared dignity and forgiveness can faith’s unifying power be fully realized.