Religious wildfires

Jonathan's wish to dissociate religion from violence is part of a complicated global conversation. Some narratives assert that certain religions are intrinsically inclined to violence, while others see religion purely as a proxy, falsely accused of violence that has other causes. It's an important conversation because the passions tend to run high. In the layer upon layer of causation in conflicts around the world, religion is a part of the story but tangled up in a host of factors. That makes the situation of Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, with the largest number of Muslims as well as the largest number of Christians in the region, especially significant. And Nigeria is a global hot spot of nasty incidents involving Muslims and Christians.

Nigerians themselves certainly seem to see religion as linked to conflict and violence. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life's study on religion in Africa, published this week, found that 58 percent of Nigerians say religious conflict is a "very big problem" in their country, much higher than the average of 28 percent in the 19 African countries that Pew surveyed.

Jonathan contends that, despite this common perception of religious tension, the violence springs from other issues. Like many Nigerians, he takes pride in the country's religious and ethnic diversity and the countless instances of communities living side by side, not just tolerating "the other" but respecting each other and cooperating across many fronts. Rather, the clashes are largely about underlying economic and social factors (unemployment, competition for land).

But even if the cause of the violence lies elsewhere, the words of religious leaders, he said, can be "like the wind that spreads the wildfires." He might have added, as do other Nigerian leaders, that unscrupulous politicians also fan the fires of tensions, adding religious dimensions that were not and should not be there. By making a non-religious conflict into one fired by the passions, rhetoric, and global trappings of clashing cultures and religions, these leaders make the wildfire far harder to bring under control.

The conversation, sticking for now to Nigeria, needs to move on to solutions.

One area where Nigeria has a lot in common with other countries, including the United States, is that most people admit that they know very little about the religious beliefs and practices of their neighbors. In Nigeria, 54 percent of Christians say they know not very much or nothing about Islam and 63 percent of Muslims say they know not very much or nothing about Christianity. Given how hugely important religion is for Nigerians (another major Pew study finding - 92 percent of Nigerians pray every day) better knowledge would surely help in the effort to build bridges between communities.

So would addressing forcefully the economic tensions, for example poor schooling and health care. Eliminating the corruption that is a constant theme in any discussion about Nigeria would also surely help.

Religious leaders can be powerful peacemakers. They can use their pulpits and unparalleled respect to diffuse tensions. They can, by their personal example, mediate among combatants and show an example of reaching out to other communities. Two Nigerians, Pastor James Wuye and Imam Muhammad Ashafa, travel the world and are featured in a moving film that tells of how each sought to kill the other in Muslim-Christian clashes; now, however, the two work together for peace.

And finally, the extraordinary array of religious communities and institutions can work, together or separately, to address Nigeria's enormous social justice challenges. The example of the interfaith effort to boost the global campaign against malaria is an extraordinary example of what can be done. Bringing religious leaders more actively into the fight against corruption offers another avenue for real action. That's a realistic and constructive way to stamp out the wildfires of conflict and to build the respectful and diverse society that Nigeria's admirers believe is possible.