About
This course will provide you with opportunities to learn about how to resolve conflicts between disputants with very different worldviews.
“Victory creates hatred, defeat creates suffering. Wise ones desire neither victory nor defeat… anger creates anger … he who kills will be killed he who wins will be defeated … revenge can only be overcome by abandoning revenge…”
Holy Sutra Dhammapada 1.3-4
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to bridging extreme difference utilising case studies and interactive activities to provide participants with key insights and tools to apply to disputes with a religious or intercultural dimension.
Course Format
The course takes place over 2 half-days in a live virtual format (14:00-18:00 CEST on 20 & 27 November 2026)
The language of instruction is English
Interactive, reflective and practice-based sessions
Designed for anyone interested in working within the area of dispute resolution in a faith community and who is strongly committed to achieving the learning objectives listed below.
Learning Objectives
At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
To practice resolving disputes in commercial, community, family, intergenerational, probate, school and workplace contexts where the parties’ cultural and/or religious perspectives are relevant.
To experience Scripture-based Dialogue sessions on Holy War, Peace and Pluralism.
To reflect upon the specific dispute resolution needs of our diverse communities.
The course has a strict limit on participants. Preparation and active involvement in all sessions is essential so that all participants can derive the maximum benefit from the course.
Instructors
The course is led by:
Zaza Johnson Elsheikh
Senior Fellow, Institute for Global Negotiation
Dr. Zaza Johnson Elsheikh is a renowned international mediator and trainer with extensive experience in conducting commercial, family and workplace mediations. She actively promotes the growth of alternative dispute resolution services for all communities, and in particular, Sulh(a) a traditional form of dispute resolution used in many countries in the Far East, Asia, Middle East and North African regions. As a Muslim faith leader, who is influenced by her mixed cultural and religious heritage, Zaza has promoted the use of dispute resolution as an early intervention for disputes between and within faith groups through the charity Belief in Mediation and Arbitration (BIMA) which she co-founded in 2012 with multi-faith mediators and arbitrators. Zaza is a CEDR Faculty member and a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators (IAM). She is also accredited as an International Commercial Arbitrator through the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb).
Admission Requirements
The course is suitable for anyone interested in working within the area of dispute resolution in a faith community and who is strongly committed to achieving the learning objectives listed below.
Participants must have:
a strong command of English
at least five years of professional experience
a stable internet connection, webcam and microphone to ensure full participation