How Religions Affect Countries Socially and Politically - Essay Example

How Religions Affect Countries Socially and Politically Cultural practices, moral values, ethics and religion, in general, are said to have a deep impact on all of us in varying degrees. All these aspects have their own areas of influence. If we have a look around the world and try to figure out the social and political behavior of countries like Israel, Pakistan, Iran, India etc. it can very well be figured out that religion indeed has a far greater impact on the manner in which the country's political and social environment takes shape. John J. Macionis defined1 religion as "A social institution involving beliefs and practices based on a conception of the sacred." Therefore, it is bound to have an impact on the manner in which the rulers of a country try to shape their political philosophy, because that what they consider to be good for their country and the people. If we take a look around, we can figure out a number of skirmishes taking place amongst groups, societies and countries. Religion seems to be one of the factors shaping the opinions and the behaviors of the people involved in the conflicts. It is a fact that no religion teaches hatred or intolerance towards other people in the society, but the manner in which the religious teachings are portrayed often impacts the social behavior. If we take a look at the Middle East conflict, we find a deep divide amongst the followers of the two religions. The Middle East conflict between Israel and its neighbors, on the lines of religious beliefs, goes back to almost a century, but conflict has escalated more during the last over 60 years. The political spectrum in both the territories has been coming out with policies commensurate with their stated positions all this while. Despite efforts from different corners, the conflict is nowhere near to any solution even now. Now, terrorism, the dreaded word, also finds some of its threads attached to this conflict. But the net outcome of such conflict has not favored any particular country or territory. People from both the sides have suffered immensely and the developmental issues have been hit adversely but the irony is, even the newer generation on both the sides doesn't seem to have a say in resolving the conflict amicably. If we take a look at a country like Pakistan, we find that this Islamic nation has been in the news in recent days, for all the wrong reasons. The country has been under tremendous pressure from the Islamic clerics for quite some time now. Though the present regime came into power after a democratic process of elections during the recent past, but it also need to be remembered that Pakistan has had brushes with democracy in the past as well. In the past, there have a number of Military coups, taking over the reins of power in the country. Despite best efforts from some of the rulers of Pakistan, the religious bodies have always tried to dictate terms for framing policies, and it goes without saying that on many occasions such religious bodies have been able to have an upper hand. The recent incidents in Swat valley of Pakistan have raised many concerns about the future of democratic set up in the country. In order to restore peace in the region, the Pakistani government decided to hand over this valley, better known as 'Switzerland of Pakistan' to some of the religious heads on 15th of February2. From that day onward Islamic laws have come into force in the region, which implies many significant departures from the erstwhile democratic principles. It is quite apparent that the religion, being practiced by majority of the people in Pakistan had the upper hand in deciding about the future of the Swat valley. America is considered an icon of democracy all over the world. People from many faiths from around the world have made this country as their home. The policies and principles of the government provide full respect to all religions. But, if we are to point out the religion enjoying the best patronage, we'll come to the conclusion that it is indeed the Christianity. During the recently held ceremony when the newly elected President Barack Obama took oath of office, many of the ceremonies were conducted in such a manner which provided an indication that Christian rituals are being followed. No doubt as the government matures and the democratic set-up gains strength, such rituals become part of the tradition as well and gradually gain constitutional propriety as well. To what extent such traditions and rituals become all encompassing and acceptable to everybody, depends upon the effectiveness and ability of the ruling dispensation. It is worthwhile here to mention that respective US governments have also tried to influence the goings on the Middle East region and broker peace amongst the two warring nations, but so far all such efforts have proved to be futile. Instead, at times, the American efforts have been viewed with suspicion by the political leaders in the Palestinian region. Majority of Israelis practice Judaism as their religion. The followers of this religion are known as Jews. If we see the key features of Judaism and Islam, we will find that both the religions in general preaching humanity, tolerance and brotherhood to their followers. None of the religions preach violence and killings as the means of resolving the issues. But the unfortunate part is, the manner in which such preaching was interpreted, led to acrimony between the two communities. Setting up of the Israel state proved to be the biggest trigger for this. Tracing back the Middle East crisis, Fishman (2005) states that the conflict between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East region goes back to the period when United Nations established the modern state of Israel in 1947. This decision was strongly contested by the Arab World and they refused to recognize Israel. The relationship between the Arab nations and Israel has improved over the years but the acrimony remains. From the Zionist point of view, the Israeli's came back to Palestine in the late 19th century to repossess their inherited homeland. They instead had to buy the same land where they constructed a Jewish community. Thereafter, the region saw intense amount of military activities and acrimonious circumstances. But it is quite interesting to know that in subsequent years, while many Islamic nations realized the futility of continuing the acrimony and instead agreed for peaceful relations with Israel, Palestinian authorities are yet to come across such an agreement. For example, Jordan and Israel are now enjoying peace, after the example set by Israel and Egypt before them. In fact, Palestinians and Israelis too have arrived at various verdicts geared towards a comprehensive and a lasting platform of negotiations. But none proved long lasting. It is therefore amply clear that while religion as such does not call for any specific style of government functioning, its impact on social and political spectrum of the nation certainly provides a direction to the country and people. If the strengths of any religion are accorded top priority over the grey areas, the world community can certainly heave a sigh of relief, as most of the disputes and differences would be resolved amicably and respecting each other's feelings. References: 1. Constable, Pamela (2009). 'Islamic Law Instituted In Pakistan's Swat Valley'. Available online at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021601063.html (Feb 24, 2009) 2. Fishman. T (2005). The Rising Superpower and how it poses grave challenges on the superpower: Oxford University Press. Pg 65-78. 3. Leigh D. (2007). Associated Content Society. Available online at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/227840/religions_effect_on_society.htmlcat=34 (Feb 24, 2009) Read More