This title was first published in 2001. Why, in this contemporary secular age, does violent conflict among confessional communities still occur? Covering several key conflicts of recent years in one of the most dynamic areas of the world, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans, Mario Apostolov uses both interpretative and comparative analysis to answer this question. His versatile approach makes for an engaging account that makes an important contribution to the current debate surrounding such conflicts.The author focuses on five case studies taken from the traditional zone of contact between Christianity and Islam:- The Copts- The Palestinian Christians- The Lebanese communities- The Pomaks- The communities of Bosnia-HerzegovinaThe book examines the relationship between these issues and communal mobilisation, the collective use of violence and the problems of international security. An informative study for students, academics, policy makers and personnel in international organizations with an interest in communal conflict and security.

The thesis uses both interpretive and comparative analysis to explain why conflicts involving confessional minorities still occur in the contemporary age of secular nation states. Arguably, these conflicts reflect political relations involving nation states, political leaders and various communities. This is one of the reasons why the secularisation hypothesis does not hold in many states in today's world.

In January 2011, after three decades under President Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian people joined together in an uprising – subsequently dubbed the January 25 Revolution – that was widely seen as an important move towards greater civil and political freedoms in the country. However, since then security in the country has deteriorated – and it is Egypt’s religious minorities who are bearing the brunt of this renewed violence. This report, drawing on interviews with minority representatives and human rights activists in the country, explores the troubling continuation of the marginalization and insecurity that characterized the situation of religious minorities during the Mubarak era. These include an ongoing climate of impunity, enabled by the government’s unwillingness to prevent or prosecute sectarian violence, as well as restrictive legislation, engrained prejudice and the prevalence of hate speech in political and religious discourse. The discrimination and violence that religious minorities still face, almost three years on from the removal of Mubarak, reflect deep and persistent inequalities that have remained remarkably intact in spite of the country’s political upheaval. As the findings of this report suggest, Egypt requires a comprehensive transformation of its current social and institutional environment, from education and media to legislation and the judiciary, if the root causes of the problems confronting religious minorities are to be effectively addressed. As sectarian violence is an important factor in its continued instability, the situation of Egypt’s minority groups will also have lasting implications for the future of the entire population.

What impulse prompted some newspapers to attribute the murder of 77 Norwegians to Islamic extremists, until it became evident that a right-wing Norwegian terrorist was the perpetrator? Why did Switzerland, a country of four minarets, vote to ban those structures? How did a proposed Muslim cultural center in lower Manhattan ignite a fevered political debate across the United States? In The New Religious Intolerance, Martha C. Nussbaum surveys such developments and identifies the fear behind these reactions. Drawing inspiration from philosophy, history, and literature, she suggests a route past this limiting response and toward a more equitable, imaginative, and free society. Fear, Nussbaum writes, is "more narcissistic than other emotions." Legitimate anxieties become distorted and displaced, driving laws and policies biased against those different from us. Overcoming intolerance requires consistent application of universal principles of respect for conscience. Just as important, it requires greater understanding. Nussbaum challenges us to embrace freedom of religious observance for all, extending to others what we demand for ourselves. She encourages us to expand our capacity for empathetic imagination by cultivating our curiosity, seeking friendship across religious lines, and establishing a consistent ethic of decency and civility. With this greater understanding and respect, Nussbaum argues, we can rise above the politics of fear and toward a more open and inclusive future.

Secrecy is a central and integral component of all religious traditions. Not limited simply to religious groups that engage in clandestine activities such as hidden rites of initiation or terrorism, secrecy is inherent in the very fabric of religion itself. Its importance has perhaps never been more acutely relevant than in our own historical moment. In the wake of 9/11 and other acts of religious violence, we see the rise of invasive national security states that target religious minorities and pose profound challenges to the ideals of privacy and religious freedom, accompanied by the resistance by many communities to such efforts. As such, questions of secrecy, privacy, surveillance, and security are among the most central and contested issues of twenty-first century religious life. The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Secrecy is the definitive reference source for the key topics, problems, and debates in this crucial field and is the first collection of its kind. Comprising twenty-nine chapters by a team of international contributors, the Handbook is divided into five parts: Configurations of Religious Secrecy: Conceptual and Comparative Frameworks Secrecy as Religious Practice Secrecy and the Politics of the Present Secrecy and Social Resistance Secrecy, Terrorism, and Surveillance. This cutting-edge volume discusses secrecy in relation to major categories of religious experience and individual religious practices while also examining the transformations of secrecy in the modern period, including the rise of fraternal orders, the ongoing wars on terror, the rise of far-right white supremacist groups, increasing concerns over religious freedom and privacy, the role of the internet in the spread and surveillance of such groups, and the resistance to surveillance by many indigenous and diasporic communities. The Routledge Handbook of Religion and Secrecy is essential reading for students and researchers in religious studies, comparative religion, new religious movements, and religion and politics. It will be equally central to debates in the related disciplines of sociology, anthropology, political science, security studies and cultural studies.

Why does a country with religious liberty enmeshed in its legal and social structures produce such overt prejudice and discrimination against Muslims? Sahar Aziz’s groundbreaking book demonstrates how race and religion intersect to create what she calls the Racial Muslim. Comparing discrimination against immigrant Muslims with the prejudicial treatment of Jews, Catholics, Mormons, and African American Muslims during the twentieth century, Aziz explores the gap between America’s aspiration for and fulfillment of religious freedom. With America’s demographics rapidly changing from a majority white Protestant nation to a multiracial, multireligious society, this book is an in dispensable read for understanding how our past continues to shape our present—to the detriment of our nation’s future.

Religion and Security: The New Nexus in International Relations focuses on a groundbreaking theme. In global security today, religion is not only part of the problem but also part of the solution. This book explores positive nexus points between religion and security, paying particular attention to the resources within the Abrahamic faith traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam that foster sustainable peace. Religion and Security is a lively and insightful collection of analyses by distinguished scholars and practitioners in security, diplomacy, conflict resolution, human rights and theology. As states and nongovernmental organizations alike reconsider their strategies for being relevant in the 21st century, this book provides a practical framework through which both can work toward reducing violence and promoting human dignity. Divided into four parts, Religion and Security addresses themes of war and terrorism, pluralism and stability, military intervention and conflict resolution, and religious freedom and civil society. It underscores a crucial irony: nations that violate religious human rights in the name of 'security' will ultimately be vulnerable to a number of significant threats to stability. This volume is a timely guide to the intersection of religion and security for human rights organizations, security experts, scholars of religion and politics, government and non-government staffers and decision-makers, and students in the disciplines of international affairs.