The relationship between religion and politics in the Middle East

Karčić, Hikmet (author)

The aim of this paper is to address the issues dealing with politics and religion in the Middle East, focusing on secularism vs. Islamism; the aftermath of the Arab Spring, and the Shia and Sunni split, as key themes for the purpose. Via analysis of the complexity of the Middle East, the Secular-Islamist Conflict, the Arab Spring and its outcomes, the article explains how the Arab Spring hardened the traditionally fluid relationship between the politics and Islam. It argues that Islam has never actually left the political realm, as there is still political contestation about the role of Islam in public life. The paper then deals with the complexity of the Shia and Sunni relationship and the split between the two, giving the explanation for such occurrences on the three levels – doctrine, legitimacy, and power.

• Language: English
• Keywords: politics, religion, Middle East, secularism, Islamism, Arab Spring
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: TEOF - Theological Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2022
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: Str. 89-98
• Numbering: Letn. 77, št. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-163372
• UDC: 27:28:32(5-15)
• ISSN on article: 2335-4127
• DOI: 10.34291/Edinost/77/02/Karcic
• COBISS.SI-ID: 135395587
• Publication date in RUL: 04.10.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Edinost in dialog : revija za ekumensko teologijo in medreligijski dialog
• Publisher: Inštitut za ekumensko teologijo in medreligijski dialog pri Teološki fakulteti Univerze v Ljubljani, Inštitut za ekumensko teologijo in medreligijski dialog pri Teološki fakulteti Univerze v Ljubljani, Inštitut Stanka Janežiča za dogmatično, osnovno in ekumensko teologijo ter religiologijo in dialog, Teološka fakulteta Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2335-4127
• COBISS.SI-ID: 268194560

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Odnos med religijo in politiko na Bližnjem vzhodu

Abstract

Cilj tega članka je nasloviti izzive pri razumevanju religije in politike na Bližnjem vzhodu s poudarkom na dinamiki med sekularizmom in islamizmom, posledicah arabske pomladi ter razdeljenosti med šiiti in suniti kot ključnih temah. Skozi analizo kompleksnosti Bližnjega vzhoda, konflikta med sekularizmom in islamizmom ter arabske pomladi in njenih posledic članek pojasnjuje, kako je arabska pomlad utrdila odnos med politiko in islamom, ki je bil tradicionalno fluidnejši. V članku trdim, da islam v resnici nikoli ni zapustil politične sfere in da še vedno obstaja politično nestrinjanje glede vloge islama v javnem življenju. Nato članek obravnava kompleksnost odnosov med šiiti in suniti ter delitev med njimi, ki jih pojasnjuje na treh ravneh: v odnosu do doktrine, legitimacije ter moči.

• Keywords: politika, vera, Bližnji vzhod, sekuralizem, islamizem, arabska pomlad