Amir Kazmi
Preternatural Mt. St. Mary's Student &
Assistant Web Master Emmitsburg.net
The
role that religion plays in politics is embedded in the
structure of the Middle East. The important role of
religion in politics arises partly from the history of
the region. Historically, both religion and tradition
went hand in hand to form the government systems of the
region. Modernity in terms of "secularism,
individualism, democracy, [and] economic
rationalism" have had little latitude over the
Middle East as a whole (Gerner 319). Hence, many
governments use religion to justify their authoritative
political systems within the Middle East. In this paper
I will discuss how religion in politics is the most
critical issue facing the Middle Eastern countries today
in regards to the region regaining its leadership role
in the issue of world affairs.
The religion and
politics of the Middle East have special significance in
view of the history and politics of the Middle East.
After all, the three great monotheistic religions find
their roots in the Middle East. Judaism was founded
about four thousand years ago and it is the first
religion to believe in one God. Jews believe that they
are the 'chosen people' by God's will and it is through
this religious sentiment that their "communal
identity" comes from Judaism itself (321). Hence,
the Jews have placed their religion at the center of
their life, community and the political arena.
Therefore, one must
understand the faith to understand the region's
politics, as there can be no severance between Jewish
religious beliefs and Israeli politics and society.
History tells us that Jews, like Christians and Muslims
"have used religion to justify and legitimate
expansion and warfare" (321). According to the
Hebrew Bible, God (Yahweh) was on the Jewish side when
they fought enemies of Zion. Like Judaism the other two
Abrahamic religions, Christianity and Islam, have also
used religious revelation to rationalize holy war. The
Papacy took a political step under Pope Urban II, when
crusades were launched as holy war to retake Jerusalem
from the Muslims. The massacres of Muslims took place
for political gain, which was a deed of the crusaders
and were justified through Christianity.
Furthermore, religion
in politics plays a crucial role in the current Middle
East conflict. Islamic sharia is taken into serious
consideration by Islamic countries, when making
political steps or creating new laws. Similarly, Jewish
law known as halakah is an important facet that
encompasses most laws passed by Israel. Israel is seen
as the place "that would guarantee the survival and
future of the Jewish people" (331). Now, if the
national interest of the country is the protection of
the Jewish people then obviously its political decisions
will be obscured by religion.
Also, it is important
to note that many Jews see "terrestrial gains made
in 1967" as part of their promised biblical land,
which makes it hard to find a neutral solution for the
Middle East crisis (332). A problem with religion in
politics is that it allows for terrorist organizations
such as Gush Emunim or Hamas to distort religion for
political purposes. But in the end all these extreme
groups are fighting over a small portion of land
resulting from the Middle East conflict, which is the
reason for their existence. Furthermore, it is
interesting to see that the one thing that the League of
Arab Nations comes to consensus on is their position
towards the Middle East conflict. The reason the Arab
nations come together over the issue of Middle East and
the future of Jerusalem is because they share a common
religion. Thus, it is fair to say, "Jerusalem
symbolizes the significance of religion in the politics
of the Middle East" (330). But the leaders of the
Middle East have significantly different policies
concerning world affairs.
Those wishing to regain
leadership roles in world affairs have to understand
that religion in politics has proven to have a
significant place in the Middle East. Unlike the West
where religion is greatly marginalized as a result of
the Enlightenment period and the experiences of the
Renaissance, the Middle East has had a resurgence of
religion. Religious fever is partially due to the
rejection of Western secularism. The leaders of most
Middle East nations understand that implementation of
Western technology is eminent for success in the world
community. After all it is very much possible to adapt
the technology and reject the social structure. Many
societies in the Middle East feel that it is the social
structure of the West that is at war with their
traditional or religious structure, which entails the
resurgence of strong religious sentiment. But many of
the leaders of the Middle East have abused this
sentiment of the public to their advantage.
If leaders of Middle
East nations truly wish to see their countries play a
key role in globalism and secure a place in the world
community, then they need to stop using religion for
their personal gain. It is evident that leaders of the
Middle East nations have used and still use religion to
rally support in order to stay in power. One of the main
reasons politicized Islam has taken such a strong role
in the Middle East, is due to corrupt authoritarian
leaders of the Middle East who use religion to ensure
their positions. For example, Saddam added religious
scripture to the national flag upon hearing of U.S.
attacks because he knew the Iraqi masses would support a
religious cause.
In conclusion, I see
religion in politics as a very important issue in the
Middle East because it determines the current and future
role of the region in the world community. Apart from
the Arab nations, "Israel's very existence and
identity remains tied to Judaism" (339).
Furthermore, I believe religion has allowed many of the
authoritarian regimes to stay in power even in
postcolonial times. For example, in the national news of
Saudi Arabia the monarch, King Fahad bin Abdul Aziz, is
always referred to as 'the custodial of the two holy
mosques'.
Over time, I believe
many nations will see the fall of authoritative rule and
a move towards democracy. But we will not see the usual
Western democratic setup, but rather, democracy that has
some religious basis such as structure of Iran. In my
view, religion will continue to play an important role
in the future for the Middle East as they decide the
fate of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, determine the
role of the Persian nation of Iran, and form the
position of the region as a leader in world affairs.
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