Nationalist and Non-nationalist Reconciliation

How have people reconciled Nationalist and Non-Nationalist loyalties?

People risk losing an important part of their identity when they have to choose one loyalty over another. Once they have made a decision this could cause a sense of alienation. An example of this is when the Chinese government outlawed the religious practices of Falun Gong. Members of this group were conflicted with their religious loyalty versus their loyalty to China. The Chinese government tried to force a choice on them with violence and oppression. Unfortunately, in this situation these contending loyalties were not reconciled.



Another example is Little Rock Nine who were the first nine African-american teenagers to attend central high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1957 segregation was a trend in Southern America. These black students were prone to taunts and abuse everyday outside of the school. As the terror intensified the national guard was sent by Arkansas' governer to restore the peace. Even though the national guard was supervising the outside of the school. The Little Rock Nine still had to endure inflicted pain by the other students who were not black. The staff of the school did not come to the aid of the black students. As time went on segregation was eventually abolished in America and the majority of developed countries.



The third example is in 2003 when Alberta passed a law requiring a photograph on all drivers licence. However this caused conflict with the Wilson Siding Hutterite Colony because of their belief based on the Bible that prohibits them from having their picture taken. Members of the Wilson Colony took this case to court and argued that obeying the law would mean violating their religious freedoms. The Wilson Colony won and were given an exception to carry around their licence without a photograph. However, in 2007, the case was appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada. This is just a further example of how obeying the law could mean the violation of religious beliefs and how it can be brought to justice somehow through the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.