Abstract
The actual turmoil in the Arab world is the consequence of acute political crises (which
have sometimes deteriorated into dramatic and inextricable situations of war). Among all
the reasons of these crises (in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, etc.), the
religious factor looks important. Contrarily, in Southeast Asia, political disagreements
have been generally solved through negotiations and agreements (even if authoritarianism
prevails in many cases), i.e. through pragmatism and away from sectarian divisions (with
some exceptions like the Rohingas tragedy in Burma). Although the picture is not clearcut, the comparison between these two cultural zones (with a focus on the Arab world) is
interesting in trying to assess the role of religion (here: Islam) in politics. This paper will
deal with the whole Arab world, compared to Southeast Asia when deemed relevant. The
analysis will endeavour to connect religious-cultural dynamics to social-political
phenomena from an original theoretical angle: the perusal of the eventual link between
(Arab) Islam and violence. Such issues as traditions, sectarianism, social homogeneity,
external factors, etc., need to be analysed since they may push towards smooth political
transitions or, on the contrary, violence and chaos, depending on circumstances. And
when societal attitudes vis-à-vis the global system are characterized by fear (because of
religious-moral-cultural apprehensions), popular contestation may lean more easily
towards intolerant inward-looking attitudes, with the result that socio-political claims
degenerate swiftly into religion-driven strife.
Stéphane Valter. (2018) Religious Conflicts, Political Fights: Turmoil in the Middle East, Pragmatism in Southeast Asia, Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization, Volume VIII, Issue 1.
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