Judaism, Islam and Religious Race Nationalism

[Atomic Academic]

The pattern in which religion provides the ideological substrate for fervently militant political nationalism appears to be especially pronounced in the history of Semitic cultures, the Judaism having provided the archetypal model of religious nationalism. The evidence is that Judaism provided the model for the religious nationalism of the Arabs in Islam, for Mohammed in his visions of Angel Gabriel, God and monotheistic faith evidently had the example of Judaism to follow. All cultures, of course, use religion to the political ends but the two major historic Semitic cultures, the Jewish and Arab have exhibited a uniquely pronounced racial ethnocentrism based on religious ideology.

 

[Molzahn]

Religion is a form of cultural institution. Many other secular societies have exhibited the same oppressive and destructive tendencies. This is a problem of human nature, and the desire for control, not religion as a whole.

 

[Taylor V. Smith]

Excellent point, Molzhahn. All humans are capable of exhibited extreme nationalism, regardless of religion. Consider Nazi Germany.

Moreover, I suspect that the militancy of certain cultures is motivated by more tangible considerations than either religion or nationalism. An excellent book on this subject is called Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill, by Jessica Stern. The book examines Islamic, Jewish, and Christian terrorist groups and concludes that historical grievances--not religion--are the chief motivators for terrorism. For example, the Islamic militants in Mindanao lived in the southern region of the Philippines for years before being conquered by first Spain, then the United States, then the Filipino government. Their terrorist acts, committed in the name of religion, are aimed at forcing the Filipino government to grant greater autonomy to Muslims in Mindanao.

By the way, it is noteworthy that, according to mainstream definitions, no action is considered "terrorism" unless it has a political objective.