The Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution (CRDC) is an arm of
George Mason University
George Mason University (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...
's
. CRDC engages in practice, education, and research concerning peace-building in conflicts where religion and culture play a significant role in a destructive conflict. CRDC specializes in
entrepreneurial
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones.
An entrepreneu ...
engagement with partners, students and supporters who share the goal of promoting emerging networks of indigenous and global peacemakers; mobilizing support for them; and forging links between such people, citizen-diplomats, and policymakers.
History
CRDC began in 2003 with a gift from the Catalyst Fund, which endowed the James H. Laue Chair in World Religions, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution, and created CRDC to be directed by the chair. The chair is named for James H. Laue, the inaugural Vernon M. and Minnie I. Lynch Professor of Conflict Resolution at George Mason from 1987 until his death in 1993.
Activities
CRDC offers public presentations to governments and nongovernmental organizations; formal training in religion, diplomacy and conflict analysis; consulting for agencies dealing with religion and conflict; recommendations for ongoing conflicts; and support of religious moderates in international disputes.
[http://www.washingtondiplomat.com/04-12/a1_12_04.html .]
Research
The center is also active in research. It analyzes religious traditions and practices for new areas of creative diplomacy, examines internal struggles within religious communities, and searches for ways in which religious practices may heal conflicts beyond the reach of normal diplomacy and conflict resolution.
Work with Jordan
CRDC coordinated a meeting between
King Abdullah II
Abdullah II (Abdullah bin Hussein; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of the Hashemites, who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is traditionally reg ...
of the
Hashemite
The Hashemites (), also House of Hashim, are the Dynasty, royal family of Jordan, which they have ruled since 1921, and were the royal family of the kingdoms of Kingdom of Hejaz, Hejaz (1916–1925), Arab Kingdom of Syria, Syria (1920), and Kingd ...
Kingdom of
Jordan
Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
and over 60 American rabbis
on September 21, 2005 at the
Ritz-Carlton Hotel in
Washington, DC
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...
. The event was sponsored by the Embassy of Jordan, and coordinated by the CRDC and Dr. Robert Eisen of
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
. Since 2016, CRDC has also conducted overseas seminars in Jordan for graduate and undergraduate students that offer the opportunity to conduct fieldwork with Syrian refugees. These seminars were previously hosted in Turkey from 2013 to 2015.
Work in Syria
To promote interfaith dialogue, CRDC co-sponsored a televised debate in
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
on religion, tolerance and the state of political relations in the Middle East on May 25, 2005. Conceived by local Syrian activists, the event was sponsored to recognize the divisions facing the Middle East in which religion and politics intersect, such as the
Israeli–Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and political conflict about Territory, land and self-determination within the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. Key aspects of the conflict include the Israeli occupation ...
or the
war on terrorism.
Rumi Forum
A program on "Citizen Diplomacy and the Future of Peaceful Religion: A Tale of Middle Eastern Peacemaking" was presented in Washington, D.C. by Dr.
Marc Gopin at the
Rumi Forum (an emerging group from
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
advocating peaceful coexistence globally through a series of schools worldwide). Gopin examines a case study in citizen diplomacy in his book, ''To Make the Earth Whole: Citizen Diplomacy in the Age of Religious Militancy'' (Rowman Littlefield, 2009). He describes the challenge of engaging with the Grand Mufti of Syria during a period of high-level opposition.
The CRDC produces video and audio
podcasts
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an episodic series of digital audio files that users can download to a personal device or stream to listen to at a time of their ...
called "Peace Steps"
in which Gopin and
Aziz Abu Sarah provide information on positive developments in the Middle East, as well as their analysis of current events.
Faculty and staff
;Director
:Marc Gopin, Ph.D., James H. Laue Professor of World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution
Dr. Gopin, scholar and practitioner in religious peace-building, author of several seminal works in the field of religion and conflict resolution, was appointed chair and director. Gopin brings years of experience and scholarship in the positive (and negative) roles religion can play in conflict. His vision for the center includes education in positive resources for conflict resolution in the world's religions; empowerment of religious leaders in the resolution of conflicts; and a change in the way policymakers approach religious conflicts.
;Staff
:Joseph Montville, Chair of the Board and Senior Fellow
:
Hind Kabawat, Director of Interfaith Peacebuilding
:Michelle D. Everson, Associate Director
:David Trickett, Ph.D., Senior Fellow
:
Safi Kaskas, Senior Researcher in Islam and Multifaith Reconciliation
:Katrien Hertog, Research Fellow
:Samuel Rizk, Senior Research Associate
External links
Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution
References
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George Mason University
Organizations established in 2003
2003 establishments in Virginia