Religion & Politics in the Middle East

Tanya Schwarz & Johanna SolomonOsher Lifelong Learning Institute

Spring 2015

Today

The “religion” in “Religion and Politics”

Framing/Meaning vs. Data• “Why” and “How” instead of “What”• In short, how we talk about things matters!

Obama on ISIL (ISIS/IS)

“Now let’s make two things clear: ISIL is not “Islamic.” No religion condones the killing of innocents, and the mass majority of ISIL’s victims have been Muslim. And ISIL is certainly not a state……ISIL is a terrorist organization, pure and simple. And it has no vision other than the slaughter of all who stand in its way.” (Sept. 2014)

Is the Islamic State Islamic?

“The reality is that the Islamic State is Islamic. Very Islamic…..the religion preached by its most ardent followers derives from coherent and even learned interpretations of Islam.” (March 2015)

• “the Prophetic methodology”: following the prophecy and example of Muhammad

Is the Islamic State Islamic?

Problems• “very Islamic”• Social, economic,

cultural, historical factors

• Islamophobia and ignoring other interpretations

How does this help us think about religion & politics?• Political theology• Taking religion seriously

Official Religions

State Religion – IslamBahrainEgyptIraqJordanKuwaitOmanQatarUnited Arab EmiratesYemen

Islamic RepublicAfghanistanIran

OthersSaudi Arabia (Sunni Islam)Syria (Pres. and laws)

Lebanon (Christian/Muslim)

Turkey (Secular)

Israel (Jewish?)

How do we study “the religion” in “religion and

politics”?

What is religion?

religion as a category of analysis: the three “B”s

(Drawing on Davie 1994, but expanding beyond individuals)

Religious Belief

(faith)

Religious Belief

(doctrine)

BeliefExamples• The Jewish State; Jerusalem• ISIS and the apocalypse• Religious “extremists” and cosmic war

(Juergensmeyer 2009)

Religious pluralism in theological discourse• exclusivism, inclusivism, pluralism, syncretism

(Lynch 2000)

Religious Belonging

Belonging (identity)

Identity as marker• The Other (remember Johanna’s talk from last week!)

o Examples: Israeli/Palestinian, Shi’ite/Sunni, Christian/Jew/Muslim, etc.

Identity and logics of appropriateness• Religious symbols (e.g. headscarf) in the public

sphere

Religion vs. Culture vs. Ethnicity• “Secular” Christians, Jews, Muslims, etc.

Religious Behavior

Behavior

Examples• Prayer in peacebuilding and reconciliation• Sacred rituals and conflict initiation (Hassner

2011)• Religious rhetoric and the likelihood of the use of

force (Wu 2015)

But….no belief or action is “purely” religious

The “politics” in “religion and politics”• Governance – Who governs? How?• Distribution of resources (economics)• Power - Who has it? Who benefits from particular

narratives and policies?

• And don’t forget history!

The Islamic StateAutocratic governments• OppressionThe Cold WarThe war in Syria• Destabilization of Iraq

(Coburn 2015)European/U.S. interventions• Colonialism• Israel/Palestine• Afghanistan (1980s)• “War on Terror”

Beliefs• Apocalyptic• Exclusivist views

Belonging• Ummah and caliphate

Behavior• Shariah (specific

interpretations of)

Coming up…..Week 3

What is the role of religion and politics in conflict, peacebuilding, and reconciliation?