Download Religious Conflict over Space

Religious Conflicts
• Religion can be a powerful force in warfare
by reinforcing ethnicity in making a conflict
more intractable and cruel
• Not usually the only reason for conflict, but
frequently plays a pivotal role (i.e., ShiaSunni conflict)
– Share fundamental beliefs/practices
– Difference originally political, involving who
should lead after Muhammad’s death
Religious Conflicts
• Despite religious conflicts, many similarities
exist between Christianity, Judaism, and
Islam…
– Are monotheistic (believe in one god)
– Descendents of Abraham
– Accept concept of sin, the value of prayer, and
necessity of repentance
– Find meaning in life through deep, personal
relationship with God
“The problem to be faced is how to combine loyalty to one’s own tradition with
reverence for different traditions.” – Abraham Joshua Heschel
Religious Conflicts
• How has religion become the crucible for
violence?
– Belief of belonging to a chosen people
– Belief in aggressive missionarism
– Religion as symbolic structure of conflict
• Religion can become the invoked ideology
or “social cleavage along which other
struggles become mapped”
– Example: Sunni-Shia conflict in Iraq—Political
Religionstruggle
may be the
for the expression of deeply and widely
orvehicle
spiritual??
• Religion and war
– 1745 wars have taken place in human history
(The Encyclopedia of Wars)
– Over 420 - religious in nature
– Christianity and Islam have been involved in
over 85% of the religious wars.
Ares, God of War (ancient Greece)
Mars (ancient
Rome)
Year 312 CE: Roman Emperor Constantine converts to Christianity
Year 988: Russia is converted to Christianity: destruction of pagan gods
8th century: the Arab conquest
11th century: the First Crusade
Muslims vs. Crusaders, 12th century
1099: Capture of Jerusalem in the First Crusade
1204: Crusaders take Constantinople
1572: On St. Bartholomew’s Day, French Protestants kill Catholics
Taliban Versus West
• Taliban in Afghanistan-1996- welcomed by
citizens and Western MDCs.
• Religious fundamentalists
–
–
–
–
–
–
Shave beard?- beating
Adultery?- Stoning
Homosexual?-buried alive
Prostitute?- public lynching
Thief- Hands cut off
Painted nails? Fingers cut off
Taliban…
• No music playing, kites, TV, Internetsoccer stadiums became public torture
arenas
• Blew up Buddha statues dated 2nd century
A.D.
• Supported by CIA right up to 9/11
• Female suicides up under Taliban regime
2014: ISIS executing Iraqi tribesmen
Wall
• US consulting Israel about barrier to be
used along US-Mexican border
Palestine