Crime Quote by Sam Harris
““Indeed, religion is as much a living spring of violence today as it was at any time in the past. The recent conflicts in Palestine (Jews v Muslims), the Balkans (Orthodox Serbians v Catholic Croatians; Orthodox Serbians v Bosnian and Albanian Muslims), Northern Ireland (Protestants v Catholics), Kashmir (Muslims v Hindus), Sudan (Muslims v Christians and animists), Nigeria (Muslims v Christians) and Iran and Iraq (Shia v Sunni) are merely a few cases in point. These are places where religion has been the explicit cause of millions of deaths in the past decade.””
About This Quote
Religion often fuels conflict, leading to widespread violence across regions and eras.
In simple terms: Religion can cause violent conflict.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and address religious roots of violence.
Themes
conflict
violence
religion
history
politics
Mood
serious
concerned
Type
analytical
critical
When to use this quote
- peacebuilding
- interfaith dialogue
- policy making
- education
- media reporting
Key Concepts
sectarianism
identity
power dynamics
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies mitigate religiously?
- What role do secular institutions play?
A Different Perspective
Religion is one of many factors; economic and political motives also drive wars.
![“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern world. [...] The first thing to observe about the moderate’s retreat from scriptural literalism is that it draws its inspiration not from scripture but from…” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b44/sam-harris-457_bible_moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to_6967.jpg)
