CoRe Speaker Series – January 18, 2012: Conflict Resolution Within Faith Communities

On Wednesday, January 18, CoRe members and others were treated to an interesting joint discussion by accomplished mediators Leanne Harder and Fazal Bhimji on conflict resolution within faith communities.

Leanne was the first to speak, and her presentation was made from a perspective within the Christian tradition. The thrust of Leanne’s presentation was providing mediators with strategies when one or more of the parties in a dispute resolution identify as practicing Christian. She first provided participants with some touchstone values of Christianity that overlap with conflict resolution, such as forgiveness, loving your neighbor, and desiring to honour God with one’s actions. She drew our attention to some key passages in the Holy Bible that reflected these values. She then expanded on some strategies, which included asking the participants in a mediation exploratory questions regarding faith and values, asking whether they have a spiritual advisior, and possibly involving the spiritual advisor in the mediation process. She also provided participants with some faith-related questions that could be asked during a mediation, and explained each of them according to the level of risk they involved. Riskier questions included “What have you prayed for regarding this dispute?” and “What would forgiveness look like for you in this situation?” She concluded by providing us with some useful online links to Christian conflict resolution ministries: http://www.alban.org http://www.hispeace.org.

Fazal then took the podium with a presentation on culture and faith based considerations in conflict resolution from the perspective of the Islam tradition. He first drew our attention to the difference between generalizing and stereotyping cultures – generalizing may be useful to predict future behavior and unlike stereotyping it is open to reformulation. Stereotyping can be rigid and unhelpful because each individual’s own understanding of their culture can be very unique. Fazal then drew in the Islamic tradition to the discussion by focusing on Islamic teachings and events that intersect with dispute resolution, and critically analyzed some key passages from the Holy Quran. Next he focused in on Ismailism, a branch of the Shia sect of Islam. Fazal explained the Ismaili national and international Conciliation and Arbitration Boards (CABs), a free service to the congregation consisting of volunteers whose primary function is to resolve disputes equitably, quickly, economically, constructively and with an eye to cultural sensitivity. The CABs operate subject to the modern legal system in each jurisdiction, but are rooted in Islamic tradition. Fazal’s presentation then moved to how mediators must face the constant challenges of cultural disconnects and he raised some key differences between eastern and western cultural traditions relating to dispute resolution and communication. He made some useful suggestions for overcoming these barriers, such as cultivating patience, avoiding quick judgments and stereotypes, and paying close attention to both verbal and non-verbal communication.

Leanne Harder, BSW, RSW, M. Ad. Ed. (C), is the founder and chief consultant at Olive Branch Consulting. Leanne has worked extensively with children and families in both government and non-government agencies and her professional experience includes family mediation, employment issues, complaints management, community development, and child welfare. She identifies as a practicing Christian.

Fazal Bhimji is a mediator and founder of MAIN Solution – Mediation Arbitration Investigation Negotiation, and is chair of the Delta Property Assessment Panel. He also coaches conflict resolution and negotiation courses and teaches management and leadership courses at the Justice Institute of British Columbia. His main area of focus is workplace and labour matters.

The next CoRe Speaker Series event takes place on February 15^th, 4:30-6:00 at KPMG, and is an exploration of the use of Metta Bhavana as a tool in mediation with Martin Golder. Free for members, $20 for others. RSVP to coreclinic1@gmail.com.