Interfaith Dialogue and the Pursuit of Peace: Negotiating Power, Consensus, and Polarization in Contemporary Religious Discourse

Abstract

Interfaith dialogue (IFD) is often framed both as a moral imperative and as an effective strategy to reduce religious polarization, conflict, and social disintegration. However, despite these ethical objectives, contemporary interfaith peace discourses frequently overlook structural inequalities, historical injustices, and imbalances of power between religious communities. This paper critically examines how peace is discursively constructed in modern interfaith dialogue using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Drawing on Fairclough’s three-dimensional framework and Van Dijk’s socio-cognitive theory, the study analyzes a purposively selected corpus of elite interfaith statements, dialogue texts, and peace declarations delivered between 2010 and 2024. The findings reveal that dominant interfaith discourses ideologically normalize a depoliticized, consensus-driven notion of peace, characterized by abstract moral universalism, the erosion of agency, and the exclusion of dissent. While these narratives claim inclusivity and harmony, they often obscure underlying power struggles and shift ethical responsibility for peace onto historically marginalized communities. To address these limitations, the article proposes an Islamic justice-based ethical framework grounded in Qur’anic principles, Prophetic traditions, and classical scholarship, emphasizing justice (عدل), moral witnessing (شھادۃ), and responsible coexistence. By synthesizing discourse analytic insights with Islamic moral epistemology, the study argues that interfaith dialogue can achieve meaningful transformation only when it moves beyond symbolic harmony toward critically reflexive, justice-oriented engagement.