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Religion and Terrorism

Religion and Terrorism. Theocracy on the rise Iran Saudi Arabia Pakistan India – BJP Japan – Soka Gokkai US Religious Right. Public Opinion in Iraq.

kadeem-hansen
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Religion and Terrorism

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  1. Religion and Terrorism Theocracy on the rise • Iran • Saudi Arabia • Pakistan • India – BJP • Japan – Soka Gokkai • US Religious Right

  2. Public Opinion in Iraq Steven Kull and Evan Lewis, Iraqi Public Rejects Iranian Model June 14, 2005 Available at: http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/governance_bt/84.php?lb=brme&pnt=84&nid=&id=

  3. Characteristics of Religion-based Terrorism • War analogy • Cosmic war • Demonization of the enemy • Conspiracies • Empowering of alienated individuals • Truth vs. lies • Linkage to mainstream issues

  4. Sunni Vs. Shi’ite

  5. Non-Middle eastern states Indonesia 215 m Pakistan 160 m India 134 m Bangladesh 123 m Turkey 70 m Nigeria 65 m Afghanistan 31 m Sudan 30 m Total 828 m Middle Eastern states Egypt 80 m Iran 70 m Algeria 32 m Morocco 32 m Iraq 25 m Saudi Arabia 22 m Syria 16. m Jordan 5.0 m Total 282 m Geography of Islam

  6. Ideas and Politics • A spectrum for political Islam Islamists Fundamentalists Taliban Iran Clergy AQ Indonesia Malaysia Turkey Iranian people Pakistan gov’t Liberal Orthodox Saudi gov’t Egyptian Gov’t Egyptian people

  7. Rise of Extremist Islam Why the Middle East? • Ideology • Lack of Democracy • Rising expectations and frustrations • Inequality • Socialist economics (OIL)

  8. Explaining the Growth of Extremist Ideas Political Factors *Technological factors Authoritarian government advances in communication Corrupt government computers for info storage Lack of civil rights; no democracy internet and e-mail Lack of human rights; no individual freedoms ease of travel Liberal and moderate ideas crushed ease of global financial transactions Radical ideas crushed (Egypt) advantages of networks Radical ideas encouraged (Saudi Arabia) globalization Prison torture SOP Controlled press spreads ruling ideology Anti-West and anti-US Social Factors Colonialism in past *Rapid economic change Strong religious traditions *Population growth Pan-Islamic ideas Lack of social and economic mobility Pan-Arab ideas *More university education; lack of jobs *Failures of secular nationalism (Syria, Iraq) *Generation with a lack of identity No outlet for moderate dissent or debate *Expectations of success; lack of success Israeli-Palestinian conflict *Expectations of change; lack of change Economic Factors Poverty Small wealthy elite *Geopolitical Factors *Expectations of wealth through oil Rapid wealth creation in Middle East *Rising population Iranian revolution *Massive underemployment Globalization Socialist economies Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan Closed economies Collapse of Cold War *Knowledge of wealth in other societies Instability of shift to post-cold war world *Temporal Factors: These variables explain why events happened when they did. Many people ask why radical Islam developed, but we need to ask why it developed and why it developed when it developed. Growth of extremist ideas

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