POL S 204 Getting Religion The Puzzling Case of Islam and Civil War Toft Thesis I argue that overlapping historical geographical and in particular structural factors account for Islam s higher representation in religious civil wars first the percentage of civil wars in which religion has become a central issue has increased over time Second these religious civil wars are much more destructive than wars fought over other issues cid 127 more casualties more noncombatant deaths last longer Religion include some or all of the following elements a belief in a supernatural being or beings prayers and communication with that being transcendent realities that might include some form of heaven paradise or hell a distinction between the sacred and the profane and between ritual acts and sacred objects a view that explains both the world as a whole and a person s proper role in it a code of conduct in line with that worldview and a community bound by its adherence to these elements Abrahamic religions share two key aspects which make them prone to religious wars Jew christian Islam uncompromising discount their physical survival desirable 1 bargaining and deterrence sacrificing the temporary and mortal to obtain the eternal and immortal is not only rational but also Contemporary policymakers worry in regards to religion violence for at least 3 reasons religious followers often choose to sacriace tangible beneats for intangible ones their cost benefit calculations are not the same as a secular person 2 far more destructive Religious civil wars result in higher combatant deaths they last longer they are more likely to recur once ended and they are four times as deadly for noncombatants when religion hinders the ability of the state to bargain the combatants may go on killing each other long after there is any political economic or social utility in doing so violent conflict is often considered a manifestation of God s will test of religious faith 3 religiously motivated violence tends to fuse temporal and religious authority which in turn can produce more authoritarian forms of government then resistance against the state is against God Religious Outbidding A Theory of Religious Civil Wars religious outbidding Elites attempt to outbid each other to enhance their religious credentials and thereby gain the support they need to counter an immediate threat civil war religious civil war 4 conditions 1 government or rebel leaders are immediately threatened 2 resources needed to reduce or eliminate the threat may be acquired by framing a conflict in religious terms cid 127 making it a religious war in order to get resources the religious element attracts international attention support 3 the society has preexisting though not necessarily deep religious cleavages 4 the government controls public access to information two key questions cid 127 Where are the internal or external resources necessary to counter a threat located And what type of bid is most likely to result in the acquisition of those resources cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 Hypothesis 1 Religion and Conflict 1 Hypothesis Religious bids have higher utility for Islamic elites than for non Islamic elites 1 legitimacy bids calculated to enhance their reputation and by extension their chances of survival 2 make the issue into a religious issue to gain support people 3 only need external support if it will change the outcome and or some resources are not locally available 4 Difficulty for nationalists have to prove legitimacy have a significant number of people affiliated with the country outside of the country with enough interest to help 5 faith are not tethered to speciac physical places the way nations are Believers are therefore free to cross temporal boundaries or send aid without diminishing the legitimacy of the elites who have appealed to 1 Hypothesis the more religious outbidding that occurs the more likely religion is to move from a peripheral to a them for help 6 religious obligation to defend Islam 3 Centrality of religion in Violent Conflict central issue in a conflict 5 The consequences of Religious Conflict negotiations at a nonviolent resolution 1 Hypothesis 3a the more central religion is to a violent conoict the less likely that conoict will be resolved through 1 religious issues have an uncompro mising character such that even rational actors may and it difacult to arrive 3 Hypothesis 3b the more central religion is to a conoict the less likely combatants are to restrain themselves from using force against noncombatants who are nonbelievers 1 in some religions only adherents gain the full protection of the law Islam in Civil War 3 factors in addition religious outbidding help to explain why Islam has played a larger role in contemporary religious civil wars than either Christianity or Judaism historical the timing of the emergence of the state system and the subsequent development of an international system that made industrialized states the most lethal form of political association geographical the co location of Islamic holy sites and concentrated petroleum reserves structural a com ponent of Islam known as jihad that has been interpreted and practiced since ancient times cid 127 cid 127 cid 127 cid 127