Religion is a source of political violence and terrorism
The September 11 terror attacks have led many to argue that religion is a source of political violence and terrorism in particular. What are the implications of this perception? Do you agree with it?
Sample Solution
There is a growing body of research, much of it conducted since 9/11, drawing connections between religion and support for political violence. In an influential book, David Rapoport (2006) contends that the world has experienced four waves of terrorism over the past 150 years: anarchist, anti-colonial, new left, and religious. He goes on to argue that the religious wave began in the 1980s, Islam is the most important religion in this wave, and attacks by al Qaeda exemplify it. Mark Juergensmeyer (2003:140) describes in detail the connections between religion and the recent wave of politically motivated violence and concludes that “what makes religious violence particularly savage and relentless is that its perpetrators have placed such religious images of divine struggle – cosmic war – in the service of worldly political battles.”
