World Religions And Multiculturalism

This book is about new forms of religious activities emerging in the context of their dialectic relations with contemporary multicultural realities. World religions are effectively a major agent of the multiculturalization of contemporary societies. However, multiculturalism pushes them not only toward change but also toward new conflicts.

In this fascinating and ground-breaking study, Vinoth Ramachandra explores the complex nature of conflict among the major world religions of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity, and also between them and the rising tide of secularism.

The National Association for Multicultural Education in Washington, D.C., listed a number of issues that the school curriculum should address with reference to multicultural education, including racism, sexism, classism, linguicism, ablism, ageism, heterosexism, and religious intolerance. It is noteworthy that of all these issues, religion is about the only one that throughout history people are willing to die for, although whether what is at issue is really religion or other things such as territory is another matter. It is also interesting that all the others have isms in their names but religious issues are characterized by intolerance. Perhaps we should try to understand this intolerance and look at what steps might help to alleviate it. However, while intolerance might seem a simple thing, understanding what is behind it and how it plays such a crucial role in religion requires what we refer to in the Introduction chapter as a multifaceted approach at multiple levels. It is not enough just to try to dispel stereotypes of followers of other religions, or to point out commonalities in world religions. We should, for example, try to understand and appreciate how adherents of other religions try to answer questions regarding their adaptation to the contemporary environment. It is through understanding how different religions coexist side by side at various levels that we truly come to learn about religion in multicultural education.

Questions about religions and religious institutions have changed dramatically since they first arose many years ago. In the beginning of the twenty-first century, the link of religion with extreme ideologies captures our attention. Such questions have been the focus of a steadily growing number of books. What does Assertive Religion add to the debate? Emanuel de Kadt discusses the relationship of religion to wider social issues such as human rights and multiculturalism. He traces the growth, during the religious revival over the past decades, of assertive, and even coercive, forms of religion, notably--but not exclusively--fundamentalist varieties. He deals with these questions as they relate to the three major Abrahamic religions, thereby addressing a readership wider than that made up of persons interested exclusively in Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. The author takes on issues such as the effects of the "Jewishness" of Israel on the rights of Palestinians; the consequences of the centralized authority structure of the Roman Catholic Church; and the implications of the failure of reform-oriented Muslims to make their voices heard in an organized Islamic reform movement. He is even-handed, focusing on both positive and negative features of each religious perspective, though he does have a clear viewpoint. Assertive Religion adds to increasingly sharp political discussions on issues arising out of religion. It is a must read for anyone interested in how religion is shaping the world of tomorrow.

Questions about religions and religious institutions have changed dramatically since they first arose many years ago. In the beginning of the twenty-first century, the link of religion with extreme ideologies captures our attention. Such questions have been the focus of a steadily growing number of books. What does Assertive Religion add to the debate? Emanuel de Kadt discusses the relationship of religion to wider social issues such as human rights and multiculturalism. He traces the growth, during the religious revival over the past decades, of assertive, and even coercive, forms of religion, notably—but not exclusively—fundamentalist varieties. He deals with these questions as they relate to the three major Abrahamic religions, thereby addressing a readership wider than that made up of persons interested exclusively in Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. The author takes on issues such as the effects of the "Jewishness" of Israel on the rights of Palestinians; the consequences of the centralized authority structure of the Roman Catholic Church; and the implications of the failure of reform-oriented Muslims to make their voices heard in an organized Islamic reform movement. He is even-handed, focusing on both positive and negative features of each religious perspective, though he does have a clear viewpoint. Assertive Religion adds to increasingly sharp political discussions on issues arising out of religion. It is a must read for anyone interested in how religion is shaping the world of tomorrow.

Multicultural Riddle is a comprehensive exploration of all the issues that shape our search for a multicultural society. The book examines how we can establish a state of justice and equality between and among three groups: those who believe in a unified national culture, those who trace their culture to their ethnic identity, and those who view their religion as their culture. To solve the multicultural riddle, one must rethink national identity, ethnicity and the role of religion in the modern world.

Canada officially prides itself on being a multicultural nation, welcoming people from all around the world, and enshrining that status in its Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as in an array of laws and policies that aim to protect citizens from discrimination on various grounds, including race, cultural origin, sexual orientation, and religion. This volume explores the intersection of these diversities, foregrounding religion as the primary focus of analysis. Taking as their point of departure the contested meaning and implications of the term diversity, the various contributions address issues such as the power relations that diversity implies, the cultural context that limits the understanding and practical acceptance of religious diversity, and how Canada compares in these matters to other countries. Taken together the essays therefore elucidate the Canadian case while also having relevance for understanding this critical issue globally.