Lunch Series on Religion and Nationalism: Syria

For more on this event, visit: https://bit.ly/3maqUoo
For more on the Berkley Center, visit: https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu

March 22, 2021 | Part of the larger project Politicization of Religion in Global Perspective, this series of events focuses on questions surrounding the politicization of religion in India, China, Russia, Syria, and Turkey. Using qualitative and quantitative data, this project has identified patterns of politicization of religion across traditions in various national and international contexts. The main findings will be accessible in a book authored by Jocelyne Cesari and published by Cambridge University Press in spring 2021.

In this conversation, Jocelyne Cesari was joined by Marc Gopin, director of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution (CRDC) at George Mason University, to discuss the situation in Syria around the ten-year anniversary of the peaceful contestation of an autocratic regime as part of the wider Arab Spring protests, which quickly degenerated into a horrendous ongoing war with thousands of victims, millions of people internally displaced, and at least 5 million refugees. Cesari and Gopin discussed the role of religion in any possible resolution of the conflict. Their conversation considered state actions; the strategies of regional and transnational jihadi groups; the positions of Sunni, Alawi, and Christian institutions and figures; and the role of women’s groups and faith-inspired peacemakers.