Religious Conflict Management: An Overview of Mediation Concept and Challenges

Abstract

Mediation is one of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) methods to avoid lawsuits which costs time and money in resolving disputes. However, its use in Malaysia is seen as fraught with obstacles and challenges, particularly in settling religious disputes. Therefore, this study will discuss the obstacles and challenges of mediation in managing religion-related conflicts in Malaysia so that the use of mediation can be improved to strengthen its implementation in Malaysia. The research method used is qualitative and analyzed thematically using NVivo software. Respondents consisted of 3 Islamic religious leaders, 3 agencies and 2 Islamic NGOs. The study found that the main challenge in implementing mediation is the intervention of external forces that aggravate the situation. Add to that the loophole in the law, the mediator's professional training, the personality that the mediator must show and the cooperation of both sides during the mediation. Therefore, the researcher hopes that further research will be carried out to solve the obstacles and challenges of opening the community's eyes to the use of mediation methods in dealing with religious conflicts.