Islam and politics

[chicka08]

Hi everyone. I'm an undergraduate student studying International Relations and Middle Eastern studies. I'm conducting a research project regarding Islam in the Middle East and if it's positive or negative to the International community. I would appreciate if you could help me out in my studies. In the reply, please answer one or more of the following questions and provide your age group. Thanks so much!

1. Is Islam beneficial to the political structures found in Middle Eastern countries?
2. Because there is no separation between church and state in some of these countries, is there a problem in participating in treaties and agreements with other countries that separate church and state?
3. What is your general perspective about Islam and politics? Should it be involved with society and the economy?


Age groups

less than 18 years
18-30 years
30-50 years
50 and over years

[Guerrilla22]

Originally posted by [email protected] 4 2006, 06:28 PM
Hi everyone. I'm an undergraduate student studying International Relations and Middle Eastern studies. I'm conducting a research project regarding Islam in the Middle East and if it's positive or negative to the International community. I would appreciate if you could help me out in my studies. In the reply, please answer one or more of the following questions and provide your age group. Thanks so much!

1. Is Islam beneficial to the political structures found in Middle Eastern countries?
2. Because there is no separation between church and state in some of these countries, is there a problem in participating in treaties and agreements with other countries that separate church and state?
3. What is your general perspective about Islam and politics? Should it be involved with society and the economy?


Age groups

less than 18 years
18-30 years
30-50 years
50 and over years
Werd,
I'm an international relations major too.

1. No, religion should be kept out of society all together, because all religions are based on superstitous ramblings and theocratic thought, not common sense. Religion is also too much of a divisve force in society and in between societies. Do you think incorporating religion into politics is a good idea? Would you want to live in Saudi Arabia or Iran?

2. Conflicts can arise due to differing ideologies, especially religion, sure.

3. All religion should be abolished and replaced with ideologies that work to benefit all of humankind, not just a select few, who worship a certain entity.

[Tekun]

This belongs in the religion subforum, seeing how it doesn't have any revelance with politics
In addition, I doubt that chicka is even interested in Marxism or Anarchism, look elsewhere next time your doing a study or a poll

However, I'll participate... :P


1. No, state institutions should never be involved with religion
Religion and the state, in many of these countries, work together in order to benefit their class
Furthermore, institutionalized religion should be abolished, due to all the conflict and quasi-slavery its created in the past
If ppl wanna engage in religion, they can do it in the privacy of their own home, but don't push outside the boundaries of your home

2. The Church is part of the bourgeoisie, they're always gonna support what benefits them and their class
Once in awhile, they might advise the state to reject a treaty or an agreement just to quiet down the exploited masses
But more often, the church is always gonna support any socio-economic policy that keeps their followers poor and in need of religious solace
That's why the church supports the state, and the state supports the church

3. I reject both
The state and the economy should be run by the proletarian, without the involvement of a clique of religous zealots and reactionary politicians



18-30

[Jamal]

Hi everyone. I'm an undergraduate student studying International Relations and Middle Eastern studies. I'm conducting a research project regarding Islam in the Middle East and if it's positive or negative to the International community. I would appreciate if you could help me out in my studies. In the reply, please answer one or more of the following questions and provide your age group. Thanks so much!

1. Is Islam beneficial to the political structures found in Middle Eastern countries?
2. Because there is no separation between church and state in some of these countries, is there a problem in participating in treaties and agreements with other countries that separate church and state?
3. What is your general perspective about Islam and politics? Should it be involved with society and the economy?


Age groups

less than 18 years
18-30 years
30-50 years
50 and over years


I am from the Middle East, Lebanon, so this is kinda accurate

1-Islam is certainly not benificial to the political structures in the ME, even if you didn't look at all its down points, the population in the ME is not only Islam! You have christians, Jews and many other sects... and even Islam is split up into more than 10 sects, so it is very hard to make it happen.

2-there is definately no problem in participating in treaties and agreaments, take Sauudi Arabia as an example, it has made various treaties with the west, and especially the USA, even though it is completely different.

3-Islam and politics should be completely separated! It should not be involved with the society nore the economy!

glad I could help

under 18

[Leo]

chicka08;

I'm from the middle east, I will try to answer your questions.


1. Is Islam beneficial to the political structures found in Middle Eastern countries?

This depends on what you mean by political structures. If you mean the ruling class political structures, state institutions, capitalists, radical bourgeoise etc. then yes, islam is very beneficial to them as it divides the working class around a non-material and unimportant concept, uniting them behind the ruling class and also, it pushes the working people towards submission to everything: authority, god, state, system... Yet, if we are talking about proletarian political structures, which aren't many to be honest, it is obviously very bad, as it is very bad for the working class.


2. Because there is no separation between church and state in some of these countries, is there a problem in participating in treaties and agreements with other countries that separate church and state?

No. Politicians are always pragmatic when it matters.


3. What is your general perspective about Islam and politics? Should it be involved with society and the economy?

My perspective? Fuck it, all religions should be abolished.

[Lenin's Law]

Originally posted by [email protected] 4 2006, 06:28 PM
Hi everyone. I'm an undergraduate student studying International Relations and Middle Eastern studies. I'm conducting a research project regarding Islam in the Middle East and if it's positive or negative to the International community.
I'm always curious when I see people mention the words "international community" in their papers; by "interntional community" do you mean literally the entire world outside the Middle East or do you mean the US and Western Europe (and maybe Japan)? If it is the former that's one thing, if it is the latter, than we are talking only about a small minority of the world's population.

As for the answers to the rest of your questions - What Leo said. :D

[grove street]

Contrary to western belief, religion does not control politics in the Middle East. Politics control religion. It is the political state that controls what can be and what can't be preached in their countries, look at Saudi Arabia and Taliban Afghanistan. In a Saudi moseque no imman is going to dear speak up against the royal family and in a Taliban moseque you ain't going to get an imman that is going to say that it's a womans choice to wear burka and men can't force them to wear it.

One of the many reasons muslims decide to migrate to western countries is because of religious reasons, alot of them get so fed up of going to a sermon to pray, but find themselves forced feed political nonsense and they know if they dear to speak up and against it they can face trouble.