Religiöse Bewegungen als politische Akteure im Nahen Osten

“Religious politics” in the Middle East has become a widely discussed problem. However, it relates to more than merely Islam and militant jihadism. Therefore, this volume contains in-depth analyses of different forms of politics conducted by groups in the region that claim to have been inspired by a religious narrative. The contributions within it examine the recent ideological trends of Salafism and the concept of forming an “Islamic Caliphate” in Syria/Iraq. They also deal with the problem of an Islamist environment being created in Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon in the light of the current weakening of secular nationalist ideologies in the region. Yet, the analyses move beyond the usual focus on political Islam by also highlighting secular Muslim religious politics, as engaged in by Harakat Amal in Lebanon, and by tackling Christian and Jewish political movements which base themselves on religious symbolism. Thus, this volume provides a unique cross-sectional insight into what conducting religious politics in the Middle East means today.