Religious Freedom and Peacebuilding: May I Introduce You Two?

Religious freedom is a critical enabler of peace. Conversely, the lack of religious freedom is a demonstrable cause of violence. Religious freedom, then, ought to be incorporated into the US government's efforts to promote global democracy, the settlement of wars, the reduction of terrorism, and other goals related to peacebuilding. Non-governmental organizations and scholars engaged in peacebuilding ought to integrate religious freedom into their best practices and methodologies as well. Similarly, US government agencies, scholars, and advocacy groups that focus of religious freedom should incorporate the link to peacebuilding into their work.