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Sisk, “Between Terror and Tolerance: Religious Leaders, Conflict, and Peacemaking”

This November, Georgetown University Press will publish Between Terror and Tolerance: Religious Leaders, Conflict, and Peacemaking edited by Timothy D. Sisk (University of Denver). The publisher’s description follows.

Civil war and conflict within countries is the most prevalent threat to peace and security in the opening decades of the twenty-first century. A pivotal factor in the escalation of tensions to open conflict is the role of elites in exacerbating tensions along identity lines by giving the ideological justification, moral reasoning, and call to violence. Between Terror and Tolerance examines the varied roles of religious leaders in societies deeply divided by ethnic, racial, or religious conflict. The chapters in this book explore cases when religious leaders have justified or catalyzed violence along identity lines, and other instances when religious elites have played a critical role in easing tensions or even laying the foundation for peace and reconciliation.

Read more

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Gruber & Haugbolle, “Visual Culture in the Modern Middle East: Rhetoric of the Image”

In June 2013, The Indiana University Press will publish Visual Culture in the Modern Middle East: Rhetoric of the Image edited by Christiane J. Gruber (University of Michigan) and Sune Haughbolle (University of Copenhagen).  The publisher’s description follows.

This timely book examines the power and role of the image in creating a rhetorical lexicon for political Islam. The essays explore the role and function of image making to highlight the ways in which the images “speak” and what visual languages mean for the construction of Islamic subjectivities, the politics of power, and the formation of identity and belonging. Visual Culture in the Modern Middle East addresses aspects of the visual in the Islamic world, including the presentation of Islam on television; the internet and other digital media; banners, posters, murals, and graffiti; and the satirical press, cartoons, and children’s books.

Posted on by Marc O. DeGirolami

Avon & Khatchadourian, “Hezbollah: A History of the ‘Party of God'”

Here’s an interesting looking treatment of the deeply controversial political party which is now in a position of power in Lebanon and elsewhere, Hezbollah: A History of the “Party of God” (HUP 2012), by Dominique Avon and Anaïs-Trissa Khatchadourian (both of the Université du Maine).  The publisher’s description follows.

For thirty years, Hezbollah has played a pivotal role in Lebanese and global politics. That visibility has invited Hezbollah’s lionization and vilification by outside observers, and at the same time has prevented a clear-eyed view of Hezbollah’s place in the history of the Middle East and its future course of action. Dominique Avon and Anaïs-Trissa Khatchadourian provide here a nonpartisan account which offers insights into Hezbollah that Western media have missed or misunderstood.

Now part of the Lebanese government, Hezbollah nevertheless remains in tension with both the transnational Shiite community and a religiously diverse Lebanon. Calling for an Islamic regime would risk losing critical allies at home, but at the same time Hezbollah’s leaders cannot say that a liberal regime is the solution for the future. Consequently, they use the ambiguous expression “civil but believer state.”

What happens when an organization founded as a voice of “revolution” and then “resistance” occupies a position of power, yet witnesses the collapse of its close ally, Syria? How will Hezbollah’s voice evolve as the party struggles to reconcile its regional obligations with its religious beliefs? The authors’ analyses of these key questions—buttressed by their clear English translations of foundational documents, including Hezbollah’s open letter of 1985 and its 2009 charter, and an in-depth glossary of key theological and political terms used by the party’s leaders—make Hezbollah an invaluable resource for all readers interested in the future of this volatile force.

Posted on by Marc O. DeGirolami

Minority Religions and Political Power

This is an informative short interview that I heard yesterday on NPR concerning the rise to political power of the Alawites in Syria, of whom current President Bashar Assad is a member.  The Alawites, as Steven Heydemann explains, were once a marginalized minority Shia sect, but they were recruited for military purposes by the French during the period of French occupation of Syria (1920-1946).  It was during this period that the Alawites began to move from outsider group to a position of greater political and military strength.

Posted on by Marc O. DeGirolami

Movsesian on the Tanzimat

My colleague, Mark Movsesian, has posted a short, highly readable, and instructive piece about an important episode in nineteenth-century religion-state relations in the Middle East, The Price of Ottoman Failure.  The abstract follows.

This essay, written for a symposium on secularity in the contemporary Middle East, explores the dangers secularization may pose for non-Muslims, especially Christians. It looks to a historical example, the 19th Century Ottoman reform movement known as the Tanzimat. The Tanzimat aimed to modernize the empire and revise its law to reflect secular European models. One major reform gave legal equality for the first time to non-Muslims. Equality contradicted classical Islamic law and contributed to a violent backlash against Christians that set the stage for genocide in the 20th Century. Of course, the story of the Tanzimat’s failure is complex. Factors other than religious law were also involved, and one cannot draw a direct analogy to events that occurred 150 years ago in a different society. Nonetheless, the story of the Tanzimat and its failure suggests that secularization in the Middle East is a delicate matter that poses risks for Christian communities.

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Mishra on Law and Religion in Saudi Arabia

Abhinav Mishra (Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law) has posted Bridging the Gap between Religion and Law in Saudi Arabia. The abstract follows.

To associate Law with Religion is not particularly bad until it becomes the primary source of all principles used to govern the people of a state. Law must chance with the changing times and a Legal System overtly influenced by Religion prevents it from doing so. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to show out the key loopholes in the Saudi Arabian Legal System, point out why the lusterless system is still in action, propose a new model and show how it would be effective. Also, in this paper, possibilities of revolt and other such contemporary issues will be touched upon.

Posted on by Marc O. DeGirolami

Movsesian to Lecture on Equality for Christians in the Middle East

CLR’s Mark Movsesian will give a lecture on March 7 titled, “Equality for Christians in the Middle East: Yesterday and Today,” at 6:00 pm at the offices of the magazine, First Things.  Details at the link.

Posted on by Marc O. DeGirolami

Bonine et al. eds., “Is There a Middle East?”

Here’s a book about the cohesion — cultural, religious, and socio-political — of the Middle East, Is There a Middle East?: The Evolution of a Geopolitical Concept (Stanford UP 2011), edited by Michael E. Bonine, Abbas Amanat, and Michael Ezekiel Gasper.  Obviously the book will interest students of the political history of Islam, as well as many others.  The publisher’s abstract follows.  — MOD

Is the idea of the “Middle East” simply a geopolitical construct conceived by the West to serve particular strategic and economic interests—or can we identify geographical, historical, cultural, and political patterns to indicate some sort of internal coherence to this label? While the term has achieved common usage, no one studying the region has yet addressed whether this conceptualization has real meaning—and then articulated what and where the Middle East is, or is not.

This volume fills the void, offering a diverse set of voices—from political and cultural historians, to social scientists, geographers, and political economists—to debate the possible manifestations and meanings of the Middle East. At a time when geopolitical forces, social currents, and environmental concerns have brought attention to the region, this volume examines the very definition and geographic and cultural boundaries of the Middle East in an unprecedented way.

Posted on by Marc O. DeGirolami

Podeh’s “The Politics of National Celebrations in the Arab Middle East”

And speaking of public religion, The Politics of National Celebrations in the Arab Middle East (CUP 2011) by Elie Podeh (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) looks like an excellent book for understanding how Middle Eastern governments use religion for various official civic and legal purposes, something which is certainly not unique to those regimes and which is a common feature of strong polities.  The publisher’s description follows.  — MOD

Why do countries celebrate defining religious moments or significant events in their history, and how and why do their leaders select certain events for commemoration and not others? This book is the first systematic study of the role of celebrations and public holidays in the Arab Middle East from the fall of the Ottoman Empire to the present. By tracing the history of the modern nation-state through successive generations, the book shows how Arab rulers have used public holidays as a means of establishing their legitimacy and, more broadly, a sense of national identity. Most recently, some states have attempted to nationalize religious festivals in the face of the Islamic revival. With its many illustrations and copious examples from across the region, the book offers an alternative perspective on the history and politics of the Middle East.

Posted on by L&R Forum

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

News from Iraq today demonstrates why more than one million Christians have fled the country since the the US-led invasion in 2003. A court in Baghdad has convicted three people of masterminding the attack on a Catholic church in that city last October that killed 68 people. Gunmen murdered worshippers at Mass before blowing themselves up. It was the largest massacre of Christians in Iraq since the war began.

These convictions are surely a sign of progress. Yet this very morning a car bomb exploded outside a Catholic church in Kirkuk, wounding at least 16. The disaster could have been much worse: car bombs outside two other churches in the city failed to detonate. Sunni extremists have been targeting Iraqi Christians, whom they see as infidels and Western collaborators, since the fall of Saddam. The attacks this morning seem to be an expression of defiance by the extremists: you can convict us in court, but we’ll still drive out the Christians.

The Kirkuk bombings demonstrate that, notwithstanding hopeful signs like today’s convictions, the situation remains dire. The rule of law seems to be advancing, and that is surely a good thing. But the intimidation campaign against Iraq’s Christians — one of the oldest faith communities in the world — shows little sign of stopping. — MLM