RT Article
T1 Religious Extremism, Terrorism, and Islam: A Mimetic Perspective
JF Does religion cause violence?
SP 191
OP 206
A1 Palaver, Wolfgang 1958-
LA English
YR 2018
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1913334813
AB Religious extremism and terrorism are today frequently linked to Islam, which is often seen as nothing but a religion of violence. Contrary to this superficial othering of Islam I side with Pope Francis, who emphasizes in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium from 2013 that “faced with disconcerting episodes of violent fundamentalism, our respect for true followers of Islam should lead us to avoid hateful generalizations, for authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence.” I will therefore first show, with the help of René Girard’s mimetic theory, that Islam belongs to the Abrahamic religions, and is much closer to Judaism and Christianity than many of its critics believe. Secondly, I will address dangerous temptations that frequently accompany all three Abrahamic religions. Thirdly, I will examine apocalyptic cults of the victim contributing to an escalation to extremes. Finally, I will emphasize the necessity to distinguish between the sacred and the holy....
SN 9781501333866
DO 10.5040/9781501333866.ch-013