Religious Components in the Syrian Conflict (1970 until today): A Case Study From the Perspective of Theological Ethics

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Friedrich Lohmann
• Subject Area: Protestant Theology
• Term: from 2018 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 383964238

It is one of the crucial tasks of theological ethics to assess the contribution of religion(s) to the evolution of conflicts and/or peace. Up to now, this contribution has not been clarified in all its complex ramifications. Under which conditions does religion contribute to peace-building, and what are the presuppositions for it to serve as a source of violence, by its motivation and justification?This question can only be answered on the basis of case studies that take into account the complexity of the specific scenario. Detailed methodological approaches in this sense, with a focus on the relevance of religious components, are missing with regard to the Syrian conflict. Therefore, the outlined research project is supposed to identify such components in the ongoing Syrian conflict, distinguishing from the outset between the role of religion as a resource for both the justification and the mobilisation of violence. Analyses of the conflictual situation in the Middle East too long have neglected the role of religion, leading to far-reaching misconceptions of the specific dynamics of conflict, not the least before and during the last Iraq War. For an ethical judgment, however, it is important to get insights into the different religious identities and the strategies of justification and mobilisation that are built upon them by the various parties of conflict. It is only by taking into account the religious factors - in their interaction with all the other sources and catalyzers of conflict -, that the war in Syria can be analysed and understood in its entirety.The proposed research project shall follow this requirement and, therefore, examine to which degree religious components shape the Syrian war in its specific dynamic. A scientific study with a focus on the relationship of religion and violence in the Syrian conflict and its antecedent is a desideratum. Starting with this specific and empirical case study on Syria, the proposed research project will go on to use this empricial evidence from Syria in order to get a more systematic evaluation of the relationship between religion and violence. Based on this, the research project shall draw (peace) ethical consequences, that, in the ideal case, could become parts of political ethics, even advice to politicians.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants