Borders Drawn by Religion: Somalia and Southern Sudan

I believe the world is separated by many barriers; every individual believes the way they do because of how and where they were brought up in this world. Religious division plays a huge role...how are we supposed to understand or accept others' differences when they have faith in something that seems so "wrong?" Clearly, the diversity of religions in the world has been a fact throughout the entire history of all the world's major living religious traditions. Nevertheless, this diversity has been made the basis for contention rather than community in many cases, and the monotheistic religions have often been among the worst offenders on this score. The strong tendency to display hostility toward different religious positions is connected with a strong tendency toward xenophobia(hatred or fear of foreigners or strangers or of their politics or culture) and ethnocentrism(the belief in the inherent superiority of one's own ethnic group or culture). Countries are being divided by civil wars over religion or religious beliefs. For example, South Sudan, one of the world's poorest regions, has concluded an independence referendum. The result, which will be announced next month, is expected to split Africa's largest country in two over religion. The question on the minds of many Somalis and other Muslims living in Southern Sudan is: should the ongoing referendum result in secession, and what will happen to them? Could they be punished for their religion; those from Somaliland(a self-declared independent republic in Somalia), which has a lot of similarities with the Southern Sudan, but they are Muslims. Many Southern Sudanese people have sensitive thoughts about Islam, because they consider it a tool used for their oppression by the Northern Sudan government in the last decades." The continent's infamously arbitrary borders – blind to ethnic, cultural and political fault-lines – were drawn up by Britain and other European powers at the Berlin conference of 1884-85." When the colonies gained independence 50 years ago, the Organization of African Unity declared the borders immutable – The fight continues til this day over religion and lines that are drawn(whether they be visible or not). My answer for being able to understand the division religion causes, starts when we are able to listen with open ears and open hearts in order to find the acceptance of things so foreign. If we can accept the world, maybe then it will accept us.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/xenophobia
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ethnocentrism
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/07/sudan-vote-balkanisation-africa?INTCMP=SRCH

-Melissa Giroux