Religious Ideology Research Articles

What Explains Voter Preferences in Transitional Tunisia? The Role of Particularistic Benefits

ABSTRACT What explains electoral support for Islamist parties? Existing literature assesses the role of programmatic appeals, in the form of religious ideology and economic programs, but lacks the data needed to test the role of particularistic benefits in shaping voter choice. Drawing on an original survey of 1,202 Tunisians conducted in 2012, I test the role of programmatic and particularistic benefits in explaining voter choice in Tunisia’s 2011 Constituent Assembly and 2014 parliamentary elections. I argue that, due to its greater party organizational capacity, Ennahda provided more constituency service than other parties and was more successful in attracting new supporters by 2012 as a result. In 2011, Ennahda voters were more religious and economically marginalized than non-Islamist voters. Yet by 2012, Ennahda developed a voter base drawn both from those who are ideologically committed to its religious program as well as those who requested constituency service from an Ennahda member. By showing that programmatic and particularistic appeals explain voter support for Islamist parties, this research extends the literature on Islam and politics and illustrates the importance of party capacity for developing a voter base in transitional contexts.

Eat, Pray, Wait: The Informal Israeli Jewish Education of Ethiopian Youth Awaiting Aliyah

ABSTRACT For Jewish Ethiopian refugees at the Tikvah summer camp in Gondar, Ethiopia, Jewish informal education keeps their dreams of Jerusalem alive while simultaneously reinforcing Israeli gatekeeping practices. The ethnic and religious ideologies underlying Israeli nation-building and statecraft surface in the campers’ exterritorial encounter with Israel’s vision of an “ideal” Jew. Through a collaborative, community-based approach, this study provides a holistic representation of Tikvah as a world suspended between Israeli socialization and informal Jewish education, exposing the distance between the diverse traditions and identities of Jews across the world and Israel’s reconfiguration of what it means to be a “Jew.”

Exploring Ideology in Intermediate English Textbook: A Case Study of Sindh Textbook Board

Textbooks and Ideology have become key areas of study these days. This research focuses on the exploration of ideology in Intermediate English textbook-2 devised by the Sindh Textbook Board Jamshoro and employed by the college education department of Sindh throughout Sindh province of Pakistan. This study is based on a textual and critical discourse analysis of ideological content found in Pakistani English language textbooks. It is crucial to note that these English syllabi are used in colleges that accept the Sindh Textbook Board and use the syllabus of the same boards at the intermediate level. Moreover, the study focuses on whether the textbook contains any elements of prejudice, intolerance, hatred, or discrimination against those who practice other faiths. Examining the ideology-related content in intermediate coursebooks, the research utilizes the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of the Fairclough analytical framework. What kind of ideology is employed in the English textbook, as per the first query? The results suggesting of this study show that there is a mixture of several ideologies in intermediate English book-2 i.e., religious ideology, secular ideology, and most dominantly scientific ideology. The textbook, on the other hand, takes a hateful, biased, discriminatory, and intolerable stance against Hindus. Correspondingly, the results of this study can be beneficial in several ways. The results point to the necessity of creating a new English curriculum with better teaching resources. The curricula authors should go back and reread the books to create a syllabus with more ideologies.

Countering the Threats of Religious Extremism in Java, Indonesia through the Strengthening Strategies of Culture, Religion, and Pancasila Ideology

Indonesia, with abundant diversity, encompasses a diverse array of ethnicities, cultures, languages, and religions, presenting both advantages and vulnerabilities. Exploiting these diversity and religious factors, extremist groups disrupt national harmony due to a lack of proper understanding of religious doctrine. The escalating intolerance and fanaticism, particularly in Java, Indonesia, pose a clear and imminent threat, resulting in violations of freedom of religion and endangering the preservation of cultural diversity. To delve into these issues and underscore the significance of countering religious extremism, this study employs a qualitative research methodology. The study's findings encompass four key discussions: the disruption of culture caused by religious extremism, the utilization of the Javanese cultural value "tepa selira" to promote religious tolerance, the understanding of religious values and tolerance as fundamental elements for fostering peace amidst diversity, and the instilling Pancasila values to prevent religious extremism. In conclusion, effective measures to counter religious extremist ideologies involve promoting tolerance in education, reinforcing Pancasila's values, empowering societal figures, and fostering collaboration between the government, law enforcement agencies, and individuals. These efforts should focus on instilling peaceful religious guidance and embracing the principles of Pancasila throughout the Indonesian people, thereby effectively preventing the proliferation of religious extremism.

How Religious Are “Religious” Conflicts?

Abstract Despite significant advances in our understanding of the politics of religious ideology and identity across time and space, scholars disagree on how to conceptualize “religious” conflicts and “religious” actors, and how to infer religious motivations from actors’ behavior. This Forum brings together scholars with diverse research agendas to weigh in on conceptual, methodological, and ethical questions surrounding the study of contemporary religious conflicts. We ask: How do we know when individuals and groups are acting on religious, as opposed to other, motivations? To what extent can analysts rely on actors’ own claims about their motivations? How does the “secular bias” affect scholarly research on religion and conflict? Is there a bias over which conflicts and actors come to be labeled and coded as “religious” by scholars, policymakers, and the media? The Forum fosters a debate aimed at identifying gaps within and between academic research and policy as well as media analyses on religion and political violence. The contributors examine contradictory conclusions by academics and policy analysts rooted in diverging assumptions and arguments about “religious” actors, “religious” motivations, and “religious” conflicts. The Forum proposes some ways for scholars to overcome these challenges as well as offers implications for policymakers and journalists who shape the public discourse.

Do Shia-Sunni Tensions Affect Iranian-Saudi Relations?

Today the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia is one of the defining factors in the Middle East political arena. The Islamic world's division into Shiite and Sunni is often considered a factor affecting bilateral relations between Tehran and Riyadh. Iran positions itself as the center of gravity for all the Shiites in the region, while Saudi Arabia seeks to form an anti-Iranian alliance on a Sunni basis. This article assesses the impact of the doctrinal tensions between these two branches of Islam on the Iranian approach towards its relations with Saudi Arabia. For this purpose, the author analyses the rhetoric of Iranian officials, clerics, and state-run media in the context of the main concepts of the Iranian contemporary religious ideology. The author concludes that criticism of Saudi Arabia has lost its religious connotation and Tehran does not position its confrontation with Riyadh as a fight against the enemies of Islam or apostates. The traditional epithets classifying their holders as supporters of the forces of darkness and actively used against the Western countries and Israel are not cited by critics of the Saudi dynasty. Moreover, the criticism of Wahhabism as a religious movement is not linked to the kingdom's current political leadership. On the contrary, the Iranian criticism of the Saudi foreign and domestic policies focuses on condemning the Saudi authorities' infringement on human rights and media freedom, supporting the protest movement in Iran, and fighting the Houthis. Even the persecution of Shiites in Saudi Arabia, to which the Iranian press has devoted considerable attention, is viewed from the perspective of the global concept of human rights, rather than as the struggle of one religious group against another. The kingdom itself is not considered an ideological enemy of Iran, which since the Islamic Revolution has been the US and Israel. The statements by some representatives of the Iranian political establishment on the need for peaceful coexistence between the two countries, along with the March 2023 agreements on normalizing bilateral relations indicate Tehran's pragmatic approach to interaction with Riyadh which is not affected by the ShiaSunni controversy in its dogmatic and religious dimensions.

Pursuing ideological passion in Islamic radical group’s insurgency: a case study of Negara Islam Indonesia

This study seeks to investigate the ideological passion of those who join a religion-based insurgency group. Religion-based insurgencies continue to exist even after being dispersed, whereas region-based insurgencies typically end after government defeat. Having an ideological hatred for the state’s ideology is the primary motivation for insurgents to fight tenaciously for their movement. This study focuses on the ideological passion formation process in the context of the Indonesian Muslim insurgency known as Negara Islam Indonesia. (NII). NII is a religion-based insurgency in Indonesia that continues to operate clandestinely and is the progenitor of radical movements such as Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia. Using a qualitative approach and a case study procedure, the method was applied. The participants included 21 former NII members. Using thematic analysis, the data was examined. Previous research on religion-based insurgency focused primarily on the role of extremist religious ideology as the movement’s foundation. However, it remains unclear as to how ideology influences the selection of an insurgency strategy and the desire to continue the movement. Formation of ideological passions may cast light on the dynamics of religious insurgency. The findings indicate that the ideological passion of religion-based insurgency is comprised of five primary themes. These five themes are rumination, ideology valuation, movement dedication, social interactions, and ideology internalization. This study highlights the role of ideological passion in the formation of insurgencies. This ideological passion can also play a significant role in the disengagement procedure of insurgents, which includes social interactions and internalization.

Internalisasi Nilai Karakter Berbasis Ideologi Keagamaan di Lembaga PAUD Berafiliasi NU

Internalization of ideology-based character values in PAUD institutions affiliated with Nahdlatul Ulama is the main thing as well as being the spirit of education. Administrators in charge of central education are concerned about compiling rules for establishing moral principles. However, only as a blueprint without any follow-up or assessment to gauge its effectiveness. Based on this phenomena, this study seeks to understand how RA Diponegoro 71 Banjarparakan internalizes religious ideology-based character values. This study is a case study-style qualitative investigation. Data collected through observation, interviews, and documentation procedures along with the snowball sampling approach. Source triangulation is then used to verify the accuracy of the data. Through the processes of data reduction, data display, and data verification, data were evaluated. The study's findings are as follows: 1) Tawasuth (moderate), tasamuh (tolerance), tawazun (balanced), i'tidal (perpendicular), and amar ma'ruf nahi munkar (calling on goodness and preventing evil) are character values based on religious ideology in RA Diponegoro 7 Banjarparakan. 2) Internalization of character values is carried out through habituation and learning in class. Habituation occurs on a daily, weekly, and annual basis. As for the design, carrying out, and evaluating learning activities: 3) An sufficient curriculum and supportive parents help the internalization of ideology-based character ideals. The internalization of character values must take into account the variations in student characteristics.

Objeción de conciencia empresarial y “guerra de religión” en los Estados Unidos. Reflexiones a partir de Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.

En este trabajo se analiza el debate actual existente en la doctrina norteamericana sobre la objeción de conciencia empresarial. Para ello, después de resumir la evolución de la doctrina judicial de la Free Exercise Clause en relación a la objeción al cumplimiento de obligaciones legales, nos centraremos en la última jurisprudencia de la Corte Suprema, en el caso Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., donde, sobre la base de la Religious Freedom Restauration Act federal, la mayoría del Tribunal reconoce el derecho de las empresas a eximirse de costear, dentro del seguro de sus trabajadoras, aquellos tratamientos anticonceptivos contrarios a su ideario religioso. Después de llevar a cabo una lectura crítica de esta jurisprudencia, en este trabajo se intentará valorar cuál puede ser la influencia de Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. en el debate más general y actual sobre si el derecho a la libertad religiosa de los empresarios puede ser un título legítimo para discriminar en el ámbito de prestación de sus servicios dentro del mercado.

From Manuscripts to Moderation: Sundanese Wisdom in Countering Religious Radicalism

Deradicalization has been a topic of interest among writers since the 19th century, when religious radicalism began to spread in the Islamic world. Tubagus Ahmad Bakri (TAB) wrote numerous religious texts against religious radicalism. His writings have contributed to developing a harmonious and tolerant social religious order. This writing attempts to map out the religious deradicalization concepts in the writings of Sundanese religious figures who made efforts to develop a comprehensive and tolerant religious ideology. This study shows how the Sundanese manuscripts have contributed to developing a moderate religious ideology that rejects radical religious texts and sets in motion an anti-radicalism social movement in the community. Employing the critical discourse analysis method, this study has revealed that TAB’s religious writings contain three important elements that counter religious radicalism: First, the importance of religious tolerance, the need for moderate religious understanding, and strong adherence to local wisdom. Second, rejection of radical religious texts, such as texts that prohibit having a madhhab, prohibition of istighasa, and declare making a pilgrimage to tombs as a misguided practice. Third, social commitment to religious moderation is marked by a movement of writing and translating religious books, community learning, and anti-radicalism campaign through community religious studies.

The Reformation Era in Indonesia: Santri's Polarization and the Developmental Dynamics of Pesantren

Since the fall of Suharto's regime in 1998, Indonesia has entered a new era of democracy dubbed the Reformation era. Religious ideology grew throughout this period, both locally and as a result of globalization. As a result, the polarization of students can no longer be read through classical or conventional typologies. The classic typology of students in the style of Clifford Geertz, followed by Yon Machmudi and Ahmad Najib Burhani's typology of students, also needs to represent the reality of students in the reform era fully. So, the literature study supported by interview data offers a new typology of santri divided into four forms, namely ideological, sociological, academic, and political santri. These four typologies color students’ polarization and impact the dynamics of Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia. However, this polarization in many cases experienced a "mess of polarization", so it was difficult to read the direction of the dynamics of Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia during the reform era except with high monitoring intensity. Generally, the dynamics of the rapid trend are split into two big poles, moderatism and fundamentalism or radicalism, but they are still very flexible.

IRAN'S ANTI-COMMUNIST RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES AND THEIR IMPACT ON SOVIET IRANIAN RELATIONS 1979-1989

This research sheds light on the study of the role of religious ideology in Iranian foreign policy towards the Soviet Union, since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran in 1979, and how Ayatollah Khomeini wanted to export the principles of his Islamic revolution towards all countries of the world, including the Soviet Union with a communist orientation, according to the issue velayat-e faqih, until 1989.

Abortion—Reactionary theocracy rises in America, while declining elsewhere

AbstractAbortion suddenly dominated politics when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a half‐century of constitutional protection for reproductive choices. The issue varies around the world but is especially powerful in the United States because Protestant fundamentalists and Catholics cooperated to capture one of America's two major political parties. That Republican Party has now packed the courts. The result is the decision that melded political and religious ideologies into the radical Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. This article contends that anti‐abortion arguments are flawed and that an effective anti‐abortion policy requires a harsh authoritarian, if not totalitarian, government, fueled by misogyny and disregard for human rights. Such policies force pregnant women into what must be described as a condition of slavery. With Dobbs, the restrictions on individual freedom immediately began. There have been significant counter‐reactions, also, such as the referendum in Kansas on August 2, 2022, that overwhelmingly rejected a church‐led effort to strip abortion protections from the Kansas State Constitution.Related ArticlesCarmines, Edward G., Jessica C. Gerrity, and Michael W. Wagner. 2010. “How Abortion Became a Partisan Issue: Media Coverage of the Interest Group‐Political Party Connection.” Politics & Policy 38(6): 1135–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2010.00272.x.Doan, Alesha E., and Corinne Schwarz. 2020. “Father Knows Best: ‘Protecting’ Women through State Surveillance and Social Control in Anti‐Abortion Policy.” Politics & Policy 48(1): 6–37. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12337.Medoff, Marshall H. 2010. “State Abortion Policy and the Long‐Term Impact of Parental Involvement Laws.” Politics & Policy 38(2): 193–221. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2010.00235.x.

PENGGUNAAN KITAB SUCI AGAMA KRISTEN (ALKITAB) DALAM RITUAL PENGOBATAN DI MINAHASA

The purpose of this paper is to explain the use of the holy book (Bible) in the healing rituals performed by the Tona'as in Minahasa, and aims for several groups of local belief adherents in Minahasa to carry out healing rituals that use the holy book and those who do not use the holy book and There are pros and cons in healing rituals. In the experience of the Minahasa people, the use of religious books in the process of carrying out healing rituals has had pros and cons, but this problematic situation has not made religious books disappear in the implementation of rituals. Religious books cannot be separated from sacred reality, because almost all religions have beliefs about the sacred and that belief grows through religious books as a foundation for understanding various religious realities. The theoretical approach that will be used as material for analysis is the theory of religious texts, ideology, culture and community and will also use the theory of rituals from Catherine Bell and some of the severe opinions of sociologists regarding rituals. The research method used is a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach. The results of the study show that the ritual process which includes Christian religious books, namely the Bible, is a separate way for the local community to construct their beliefs by understanding that there is a sacredization in the ritual process.

Political Islam in Afghanistan: Origins and Ideology

Any political, especially religious movement or ideology, should have its historical predecessors, whose views and ideas would somehow affect them. Understanding the origins and sources contributes to a more realistic and objective view of modern phenomena, especially in such traditional countries as Afghanistan, where tradition indelibly leaves its mark on everything. The purpose of the article is to attempt to give a comprehensive and chronological description of the ideas and ideologies that formed the basis for the emergence of Islamist political parties in Afghanistan. The materials used are the works of domestic and foreign orientalists, including Afghan ones, as well as sources in the national languages of Afghanistan. The research is based on the method of consistent description of the source and its characteristics to demonstrate its connection with the modern phenomenon of political Islam. The paper presents a list of alleged ideological sources and precursors of political Islam in Afghanistan in the mid-20th century. Their historical and ideological characteristics are given. The main representatives and supporters of certain ideas, their social status and attitude to other movements and ideologies are described. Political Islam in Afghanistan did not arise as something exclusively external, but had under it, in addition to the external form and external borrowings (the ideology of “deobandism”, “Muslim Brotherhood”), also internal sources peculiar to Afghan society in the form of tribal chiefdom, which became a kind of general organizational beginning of any political and religious movement. The complexity of Islamism in Afghanistan lies in its mixed structure, which is especially evident at the moment, in the ideology and practice of the Taliban Movement, which, on the one hand, is based on the provisions of «deobandism», pan-Islamism, to a lesser extent the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, but on the other hand, it completely contradicts them, which is purely due to tribal traditional features of the social structure and worldview of the backbone of the movement.

Paul R. Hinlicky. Joshua

Paul R. Hinlicky. <i>Joshua</i>

Selling Gāyatrī: Questioning cultural appropriation of a Mantra

Abstract This essay employs the Gāyatrī mantra as a case study to parse out cultural appropriation’s complex entanglements with modern yoga in North America. Public debates on appropriation in North America are largely based on premises of ownership, authenticity, purity, and corruption; however, theoretical arguments of non-essentialisms implicitly undermine accusations of harmful appropriation. Non-essentialisms potentially decompose fixed cultural essences so that intangible cultural artefacts or cultural groups are not subject to properties of authenticity, purity, and ownership. This position a priori blocks the possibility of appropriation (as conceived in popular discourse) because it deconstructs the premises that frame appropriation. This essay considers non-essentialist arguments, as well as several others that conflict with the possibility of harmful appropriation, such as those based on Indigenous agency and contested identity politics within Hindu-American communities. I argue that even though such arguments are substantially important, they are near sighted if weaponised to wholly dismiss the potential harmful effects of cultural appropriation. They overlook many other problems, such as exclusion, neo-colonial extraction, epistemic violence, and lack of representation of marginalised communities. These further issues are entangled with the Orientalist roots of Spiritual but not Religious ideologies.

Asserting civic space of micro religious minorities: Evidence from Indonesia

AbstractStudies on religious discrimination have focused on the nature, causes, and dynamics of repression, asserting that perceived threats and cross‐cutting influences of religious ideology and rational calculation are predictors for governmental discrimination against religious minorities. Yet, research on how the dynamic interplay of repression and pushback shapes the contestation between governments and minorities is lacking. This article explores this issue with a case study of a small indigenous religion group in culturally heterogenous Indonesia. Building on civic space theory, this article argues for the importance of coping strategies in resisting state‐led discrimination and asserting civic space. This article carefully examined complex micro dynamics while also offering new insights to better understand the interplay between repression and pushback in the context of religious freedom.

Dogs and Cats Living Together? Explaining the Crime-Terror Nexus

ABSTRACT Why do some terrorist groups cooperate with criminal organizations? This behavior is puzzling because there are reputational reasons for each of these kinds of groups to avoid the other, yet such cooperation seems to be increasingly common. The growing literature on the “crime-terror-nexus” examines terrorist-criminal cooperation, but questions remain. We discuss relevant research, and present hypotheses. Analysis of nearly 400 terrorist organizations using a newly-coded measure of inter-organizational cooperation suggests that certain types of terrorist groups are more likely to work with organized crime: those that are involved in the drug trade, cooperate with other terrorist groups, are older, or are more lethal. These relationships are robust. We also find some evidence that the crime-terror nexus is more likely for groups that have state sponsors, have larger memberships, operate in more capable countries, or operate in less-democratic countries. There is also some evidence that ethnically-motivated terrorist groups are less likely to cooperate with organized crime. Interestingly, there is little or no support for the idea that the nexus is related to territorial control or religious ideology. These findings go against some previous research and suggest steps for future analysis.

Normativism of Islamic Law in the Akkattere Hajj Ritual of South Sulawesi’s Ammatoa Community

The profound impact of cultural and religious modernity on various aspects of life has brought about significant changes in regional akkattere traditions in Ammatoa society. According to this hadith, the pilgrimage which is in harmony, the conditions and obligations are in accordance with Islamic law, and which must be performed at a certain time and place, can be completed easily through the akkattere ritual. This research is an empirical law using an anthropological approach to Islamic law. The purpose of this study is to examine the incorporation of customary values and Islamic law in the Akkattere tradition of the Ammatoa community in the region, and to evaluate its impact. Data was collected using interviews and literature studies. The research was conducted in Tanah Towa Village in Kajang District, Bulukumba Regency, South Sulawesi Province. The research concluded that the akkatere ritual obviated the need to wait in long lines or have the financial resources to perform the pilgrimage to the holy land of Mecca. Based on the findings of this study, anthropologically the akkattere traditional law is the result of a dialectic between Islam and local traditions and has resulted in new local pilgrimage practices, which is now a religious characteristic of the Ammatoa people. Nonetheless, the understanding of Hajj by the Ammatoa community has deviated substantially from the normatism of Islamic law, so that it fundamentally influences aspects of religious belief and ideology.