Islam Peace Process in Southeast Asia: Expectations for International Community Intervention

Chaiwat Satha-Anand, a professor at Thammasat University, stated that in recent years, even "sacred places" such as mosques and temples have become the target of violent attacks, and that the conflicts involving Islam have been growing increasingly violent around the world. Furthermore, he acknowledged that at the root of various religious issues lie politics and economic disparity. Chaiwat pointed out that, although religion is used to justify one's assertion of violence, religion itself has never been a direct cause of violence.

In the panel discussion that followed, Omar Farouk, a professor of Hiroshima City University, said that Chaiwat's and Mastura's opinions were extremely valuable, coming from practitioners in the peace process. He stated that in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the international community has begun to pay closer attention to Islamic society. However, there are still many potential problems. These are issues that the whole world must address, he stated. Ken Miichi, JICA-RI Visiting Scholar and an associate professor at Iwate Prefectural University, using an example of Muslim-majority Indonesia, spoke on three issues: clarification of actors of violent conflict, third party intervention in the peace process, and how democratization affects the Islamic community. The discussion ended with great expectations for intervention by the international community, especially through development cooperation from JICA and other organizations.