scholarly journals ISLAM, ETHNICITY, NATIONALISM, AND THE BURMESE ROHINGYA CRISIS

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (02) ◽  
pp. 287-314
Author(s):  
Mark Woodward
Keyword(s):  
Political Culture ◽  
Religious Pluralism ◽  
Hate Speech ◽  
Religious Conflict ◽  
Religious Nationalism ◽  
State Repression ◽  
Critical Juncture ◽  
National Project ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Oppressed People

This article discusses the world’s most oppressed people, the Muslim Rohingya of Burma (Myanmar) through the lens of “state symbologies and critical juncture”. It further argues the amalgamation of Burmese-Buddhist ethno-nationalism and anti-Muslim hate speech have become elements of Burma’s state symbology and components. Colonialism established conditions in which ethno-religious conflict could develop through policies that destroyed the civic religious pluralism characteristic of pre-colonial states. Burmese Buddhist ethno-religious nationalism is responsible for a series of communal conflicts and state repression because it did not recognize Muslims and other minorities as full and equal participants in the post-colonial national project. Therefore, the cycles of violence and the complexities of inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations indicate that Burmese political culture has become increasingly violent and genocidal.

The Role of the Chularajmontri (Shaykh al-IslOEm) in Resolving Ethno-religious Conflict in Southern Thailand

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-53
Author(s):  
Imtiyaz Yusuf
Keyword(s):  
Significant Role ◽  
National Level ◽  
Religious Conflict ◽  
Nation State ◽  
Religious Nationalism ◽  
Muslim Community ◽  
Southern Thailand ◽  
New Nation ◽  
Set Up

The century-old conflict in southern Thailand, which began with Siam’s annexation of the former Malay sultanate of Negara Patani in 1909, reemerged viciously in 2004 – with no end in sight. The Thai state expected that its official head of the Muslim community at the national level, the chularajmontri (shaykh al-Islam), whose office was set up in 1945 to integrate all Thai Muslims into the new nation-state of Thailand (formerly called Siam), would lay a significant role in resolving the southern conflict. Thus, this office was entrusted with tackling the issue of ethno-religious nationalism among the southern Muslims, an important factor lying at the root of this conflict. The office was expected to address the Thai nation-state’s political and socio-religious needs via promoting a pro-integration religious interpretation of Islam. This paper contends that its failure to contribute toward the conflict’s resolution lies in the differences in the two parties’ historical, ethnic, and religious interpretations of Islam.

scholarly journals Overlooking British experiences: a reply to Evershed

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 557-559
Author(s):  
Matthew Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Political Culture ◽  
First World War ◽  
World War ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
The Core ◽  
Actual Experience ◽  
The First World War ◽  
The Many ◽  
First World

Jonathan Evershed presents a compelling account of the clear dangers that lie in forms of state-led remembrance. The danger is, of course, that, in commemorating, actual experience is lost. While I do not wish to challenge any of the core claims in the piece, I do think that there is one element that requires greater examination: Evershed’s claim that contemporary Irish conceptions of the First World War as ‘A war that stopped a war’ ‘contributes to a (post)colonial and militaristic nostalgia in British political culture’. While the dangers of that for Northern Ireland are clear, perhaps the greatest risks lie in England, since any such benign account of the conflict serves radically to distort the experience of those soldiers commonly regarded as identifying as British and painted as being motivated by patriotism. Drawing on experience from Tyneside, I argue that, in considering the nature of that conflict, we must remember the many diverse, and often banal, reasons for working class engagement in conflict.

scholarly journals West Africa: The Formation Of National Statehood

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-165
Author(s):  
Zinaida N. Sokova
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Political Culture ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Scientific Analysis ◽  
Political Modernization ◽  
Expert Assessments ◽  
Politically Active ◽  
Specific Influence

The article is devoted to the study of the dynamics of political modernization in West Africa in the first decade of independent development. The author analyses the formation of political systems, the emergence of democratic institutions, and the causes of their crisis as well as the emergence of military and civilian authoritarian regimes. The author draws on legislative acts, documents of state authorities and governing bodies, evidence of contemporaries, expert assessments and explores national mechanisms of political leadership and governance using the examples of Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone. The national specifics of political systems and the characteristics of political culture exclude the possibility of highlighting the “universal” model of power relations that is valid in all countries of the region. At the same time, a comparison of these processes with similar phenomena that took place in other parts of the post-colonial world allows concluding that the development of the political space of West Africa had regionally special features. At the same time, the country approach to the topic made it possible to identify the specific influence of the state and its institutions on the life of society, as well as to form an idea of the variety of forms and methods of political rule. The significance of the scientific analysis of the formation of national statehood rests upon the incompleteness of our ideas about the ruling groups and their role in the system of public administration in West Africa. The article shows that many politically active groups of society — professional politicians, military men, officials, technocrats, and leaders of religious organizations — joined the struggle for control over state structures. Social conflicts, coupled with ethnic, regional, confessional contradictions, shook the fragile political regimes that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Terrorism in Asia

2019 ◽  
pp. 589-606
Author(s):  
Brahma Chellaney
Keyword(s):  
Critical Factor ◽  
Terrorist Attacks ◽  
State Repression ◽  
Religious Minority ◽  
Economic Disparities ◽  
Post Colonial

Asia, where the vast majority of the world’s Muslims live, is the world’s most terrorism-torn region. The terrorism problem, however, is not new for Asia: The region has been wracked by insurgencies, militant movements, and terrorist attacks for decades. The factors that have spurred terrorism in Asia range from arbitrary, colonially drawn borders or post-colonial change of frontiers by military or other means to the spread of militant ideologies and increasing socio-economic disparities linked to a governance deficit. The role of petrodollars from the oil sheikhdoms has been a critical factor in the spread of the jihadist ideology. State repression against an ethnic or religious minority has also triggered a terrorist backlash. Today, Asia confronts a serious and growing terrorism-related challenge. The fight against terrorism in Asia promises to prove a long and difficult one.

scholarly journals Religious pluralism and its implications for church development

2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
George C. Asadu ◽  
Nicholas Asogwa ◽  
Benjamin C. Diara
Keyword(s):  
Religious Pluralism ◽  
Religious Conversion ◽  
Religious Conflict ◽  
Religious Tolerance ◽  
Christian Church ◽  
Church Development ◽  
Proper Place ◽  
Historical Approach ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Christian Churches

Religious pluralism model holds the belief that there is virtue in every religion, just as all religions are good and are of equal value. It does not consider religion’s particularity but is interested in the ideas that have not favoured any religion. The issue with this concept is not its assertion of the validity of all religions. It is rather with its denial of the finality of any religion as the way by which people could come to God. Hence, it allows the existence of multiple religions in a given society and encourages religious tolerance. The beauty of pluralism is its flexibility which makes religious practicing a wilful act and religious conversion a choice and not a force, although it has the tendency to encourage syncretism. This research examines critically the implications of pluralism using historical approach on the development of Christian church. Data for the research were basically obtained from secondary sources. The findings reveal that although religious pluralism has its negative sides, it gives the much needed boost to development of church if its tenets are followed. Accordingly, the article recommends that Christian churches in pluralist societies such as Nigeria should imbibe the virtues of religious tolerance, and dialogue, if they want to remain alive and continue to be relevant.Contribution: Religious pluralism is a panacea to inordinate and incessant religious conflict, if given its proper place in Nigeria, will breed religious tolerance, peace and progress. This work would be of immense of benefit to government, missionaries and students across all strata of discipline.

Taming the Gods: How Religious Conflict Shapes State Repression

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter S. Henne ◽  
Jason Klocek
Keyword(s):  
Social Order ◽  
Religious Conflict ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
State Repression ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
Time Period ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Vivid Memories

Despite a robust literature on general forms of state repression, the determinants of religious repression remain unclear. This article argues that a regime’s experience with religious conflict will lead it to be more repressive of religious groups within its territory for three primary reasons. Religious conflict increases the behavioral threat posed by religious groups, lowers the cost of repressing these communities, and evokes vivid memories of past religious violence that underscore the role of the state in taming religion to maintain social order. New, cross-national data on religious conflict and repression from 1990 to 2009 show that religious conflict has a significant and positive effect on the level of religious repression for the time period under investigation, expanding the types and severity of government restrictions on religion in a country. Our findings point to the importance of studying the causes and nature of negative sanctions against religious communities, specifically.

scholarly journals "Eradicating Religious Differences”: Religious Turmoil During the French Wars of Religion

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bailee Huebert
Keyword(s):  
Religious Conflict ◽  
Religious Nationalism ◽  
Wars Of Religion ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Significant Figure ◽  
The People ◽  
French Wars Of Religion ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Religious Elements ◽  
Religious Differences

This essay looks at the French Wars of Religion, specifically the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre and the relationship that it has to religious conflict. Looking at the religious elements of violence within this massacre attempts to show that both Protestant and Catholic leaders, followers, and significant figure of the time, like the King and Catharine de Medici, used religious upheaval as a way to condone the violence that ensued during the late 1560s and early 1570s. Using both primary and secondary sources, this essay looks at ‘Religious nationalism’ and its role in the blood shed of the Massacre. The tensions between the two sects of religion were growing, St. Bartholomew’s Day is an example of when this tension became too much. Looking closely at the people involved and the events that took place, violence and religion are clearly intertwined.

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