Section International Review of the Red Cross, 2005 - No. 858 ![]() This issue is devoted to the theme of religion - including its impact on and relation with international humanitarian law and humanitarian action.
Religion is a salient and ambivalent feature in many conflicts and its growing and intensified manifestation of religion in politics and vice versa is part of the environment of ICRC operations. The tension between absolute belief in the divine and the historical nature of human existence influences the acceptance of both international law, including humanitarian law, and humanitarian action. Various articles in the present issue of the Review show the importance of religion in these fields on the tightrope between bigotry and indifference. 30-6-2005 Interview with Ahmad Ali NoorbalaPresident of the National Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Professor of Psychiatry at the Medical Faculty of Tehran University. International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF 30-6-2005 Religion, violence and “holy wars”The dangerous threats to world peace unquestionably pose challenging practical questions that are not easy to answer. Beside the need for a religious reinterpretation in the spirit of peace, peaceful conduct must also be taught and practised. International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF 30-6-2005 Islam and international lawIf war does take place, it is subject to clear regulations under Islamic Shari’a.
Religious teachings had an evident effect on the emergence of the rules of war,
which attained the status of legal rules based on three fundamental requirements:
necessity, humanity and chivalry. International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF 30-6-2005 Hinduism and international humanitarian lawThe roots of humanitarianism can be traced back to ancient India, where respect for the laws of war was deeply rooted in the armed forces. Those ancient laws established rules for the conduct of rulers towards their peoples, including, for example, the obligation to treat the vanquished humanely and the prohibition of poisoned weapons. International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF 30-6-2005 Judaism and the ethics of warTo get some idea of how Judaism handles the ethics of war, the author reviews a selection of sources from the earliest scriptures to rabbinic discussion in contemporary Israel, thus over a period of three thousand years. International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF 30-6-2005 Faith-based and secular humanitarian organizationsFaith-based organizations share many characteristics with their secular counterparts and this article identifies some of these similarities as well as some of the differences. It also highlights some of the differences within the faith-based community, particularly between Christian organizations involved in humanitarian assistance. International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF 30-6-2005 The influence of the Muslim religion in humanitarian aidThe Muslim religion considers both humanitarian actions and the duty to help as religious obligations by which all Muslims, rich and poor, are bound. Quranic texts and hadiths sometimes have an exhortatory tone encouraging charity works. International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF 30-6-2005 Encountering perceptions in parts of the Muslim world and their impact on the ICRC's ability to be effectiveThis article will examine a number of the different perceptions held by Muslims — and in particular by Islamists — with whom ICRC delegates come into contact. Many of the patterns of thought and reaction described below are found, with variations,in non-Muslim religious communities. International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF 30-6-2005 Governmental donor agencies and faith-based organizationsReligions and faith communities can be effective as “angels of peace” and as “warmongers.” This ambivalence of the religious factor has a lot to do with the fact that the relationship of the world religions to violence is equivocal. International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF 30-6-2005 Procedural principles and safeguards for internment/administrative detention in armed conflict and other situations of violenceThe commentary to the procedural principles and safeguards outlined in this text mentions the different legal sources governing deprivation of liberty for security reasons in international armed conflicts, non-international armed conflicts and other situations of violence. International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF 30-6-2005 Action by the International Committee of the Red Cross in the event of violations of international humanitarian law or of other fundamental rules protecting persons in situations of violenceThe guidelines concerning ICRC action in the event of violations of international humanitarian law have recently been reviewed and supplemented to take account of various developments that have affected the environment in which it works: the proliferation and increasing diversity of those involved in situations of violence, ad hoc international tribunals and the International Criminal Court, changes in the world of communications, etc. International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF 30-6-2005 The Paul Reuter Prize on international humanitarian law 2006 : Call for applicationsThe Paul Reuter Prize is generally awarded every three years for a major work in the sphere of international humanitarian law.The Prize will be awarded for the eighth time in spring 2006. Authors may send their applications no later than 1 November 2005. International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF International Review of the Red Cross Includes PDF |