Relationships Between Different Belief Systems: Coexistence And Political Stability Between Communities

Introduction

Different belief systems refer to a particular society that constitutes of different cultures, religious and social thought and everyday lifestyle and interaction between others. It is considered to be the main thing that distinguishes between peace and war, cooperation and resistance, and agreement and disagreements. There are many past historical facts which signify the importance of beliefs and how it may lead to chaos or a peaceful acceptance, such examples being the Kold War, the War of Independence and the Lucknow Pact. The main highlights of these events are how different communities with different backgrounds collided with each other and created memorable historical events, some being good and some being bad. The beliefs and ideas derived from these beliefs by every individual is very troublesome at times, because everyone begins to quarrel over who is right and who is wrong, such as how the area should be ruled, what laws should be implemented and so on. Due to this, it becomes difficult for the government to fulfil the demands of each individual in these areas and a state of confusion and resentment arises among the public.

Issues

The two main issues that will be discussed in this report may be affected the most by conflicts related to different beliefs. These two issues are coexistence and political stability. These issues are so significant that if they are negatively affected by beliefs, it may cause the social and economic structure of a nation to collapse.

Coexistence

Coexistence refers to different communities living together in peace and acceptance. This can be achieved easily if the entire nation is similar in belief, ideas, clothing, lifestyle and culture. However, it becomes difficult for different religious and cultural communities to live together. Globally, there are many issues in which two or more different communities are unable to live together, such as the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, which is the war over the possession of the Holy City, Jerusalem due to historical religious importance. This conflict has resulted in the deaths of nearly 7000 Palestinians and 1000 Israelis and casualties have not decreased dramatically since 2005. Many countries, such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia and USA have intervened but have shown little progress in the finding a solution to this issue. This shows that globally, the lack of coexistence of communities has created factionalism which is spreading throughout the world. Even though many organizations, such as the United Nations, have tried to make peace-treaties, none of them have completely succeeded. The lack of coexistence has become a major issue which is now being considered important by various countries. Nationally, coexistence has been rather difficult since independence. The more common issue related to coexistence in Pakistan is sectarianism, which is the clash of two or more beliefs in the same religion. In this case, the conflict is between Shias and Sunnis. This conflict arose during the 1980s when General Zia-ul-Haq introduced pro-Islamic laws such as Zakat Ordinance and Islamic Ideology, and the further negative relations with Iraq showed the Shias that country was supporting the Sunnis. This issue was not considered to be a major issue until the early 2000s when bomb-blasts and strikes were witnessed because of this conflict. Therefore, Pakistan is suffering damages due to resistance of Shias to live with the Sunni community and thus, the national government is starting the pay attention to the minorities such as the Sikhs, Christians and Shias as well, with the intention of these communities to cooperate with each other in a friendly manner. Personally, I feel that coexistence is a huge factor in social relations nationally and internationally and that it is affected by different beliefs. If coexistence cannot be achieved and maintained in a specific area, then it is very unlikely for that area to become developed and result in loss of lives, freedom and property as well. If two or more communities with different mindsets can coexist and work together, then they can settle any dispute.

Political Stability

Political stability refers to correlation between the government’s actions and the people support to those actions. If the government fails to execute the wishes of the majority, then there could be tragic consequences. A prime global example of this may be the Syrian Conflict which started in 2011. The war started in Deraa in which pro-democracy demonstrations were seen due to the “Arab-Spring”, which led to a collision between Bashar al Assad and the rebellion. It has been recorded that more than 500,000 people have died or gone missing since the beginning of the war. Along with this, Bashar Al Assad has also been accused of supporting the Shia sect and refusing to pay attention and support the Sunni majority of Syria. Those countries which are helping Bashar Al Assad in this war include Iran, Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen who are helping the Syrian Army. The countries in support of the rebels include Turkey, Saudi Arabia and also little support for USA, UK and France as well in hope of resolving the conflict. This shows that the global leaders are coming together to solve international problems with a neutral decision to prevent political devastation and the spread of this violence to other countries. President Trump also said: “The purpose of our actions tonight is to establish a strong deterrent against the production, spread and use of chemical weapons. ” In Pakistan, the Balochistan insurgency has also become a major crisis and a burden on national politics. The chief minister of Balochistan, Abdul Malik Baloch, demanded a dialogue with the nationalist leaders to talk about the constant neglection of the province’s needs and the supply of the local resources to other provinces, but this request was denied which led to the civil war. The insurgency started in 2003, with guerilla attacks, kidnapping and murdering incidents which have led to thousands of deaths over the years and now their leaders, who are mostly in exile, demand independence from Pakistan. This has caused the economy to worsen and has forced the government of Pakistan to draw up new ideas which can help solve this crisis. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, in accordance with meeting with Balochistan’s retired Justice Amanullah Khan, says: “Corruption is the biggest issue in Balochistan. The capital made from CPEC will also be used in the development on the province. ” Pakistan is suffering politically by the rebellion and attacks in Balochistan and the national leaders are hoping to resolve these issues by providing financial support to it, along with other national issues who have similar causes. Personally, I think that political stability is so critical for the welfare of a nation because politics deals with the nation’s economy, development, laws and regulations and activities. From the examples, it can be seen that if politics is destabilized in any way, it could mean chaos and destruction and breakup of the social setup.

Courses of Action

Democracy has established “equality and rights” in the world. But as seen, it has not completely eradicated the main causes of war, factionalism and overall, hatred among different cultural communities. However, some actions are being to ensure peace and prosperity in different parts of the world and create mutual understanding among these different social groups. The United Nations has introduced the “Two States” plan which enforces two separate states for Jews and Muslims, Palestine and Jerusalem. This plan has also planned to give the opportunity for both states to promote trade and improve social relations between the two religious communities over time. In Pakistan, the Punjab minister has implemented religious teachings in schools, jobs and training centers for people from various faiths, which is known as the “Minorities Empowerment Package”. As for political peace, attempts have been made to ensure order and political stability all around the globe. For example, the UN Security Council has started a process called the Geneva II process which is a series peace talks to resolve the conflict among the Syrians and to end the political unrest.

Conclusion

Coexistence can only be achieved by mutual understanding by different parties. A possible solution to create coexistence is if the parties’ leaders create awareness of cooperation and how it can greatly improve the conditions of all parties. Hence, all parties will follow their leaders and meet new and different people. It is also essential for every party to be kind-hearted towards the others so that everyone lives in peace and prosperity. They can even start businesses with each other such as trading to further improve their social relations. Political stability is related to the country’s stability. If it falls, then the country falls as well. This will massively affect the country’s economic, social and infrastructural conditions. This factor can be maintained if the government remains sincere to the entire public by making laws and giving incentives for people of all faiths, cultures and races. The government should provide equal support to the majorities as well as the minorities. This will likely ensure security to each individual and prevent any hostility. Both coexistence and political stability greatly impact a state or country’s internal and external affairs. Therefore, it is important for people to keep these two in check to increase chances of the country’s development and success.

Reflection

This report has evaluated the detailed explanation of the impact of different belief systems on politics and coexistence and how it affects the daily lives of the citizens. The sources which have been used are reliable, and national and global examples have been displayed to show the current state of each issue. The argument, which numerous references and thoughts of others, is convincing. I personally also agree with this response as I have also witnessed people with different beliefs having disputes between each other and causing political issues which affect society. In conclusion, I have realized that if we have the desire for peace, we must be open, understanding and accepting towards other individuals and not be critical of their faith and beliefs.