Religious Division

Elizabeth Hurd’s “Negotiating Europe: the politics and religion and the prospects for Turkish accession” discusses the issues surrounding Turkey’s possible entrance into the EU. This is an important issue in IR because Turkey is a massively Muslim country and its entrance into the EU would make it the only Muslim country in the Christian dominated EU circle of states. The fact that Turkey’s majority Muslim population is even an issue in this process of joining the EU supports my belief that religion is the most conflict-causing issue in IR. But this is paradoxical because religion is supposed to something that unites people and teaches tolerance and peace. I find that if you look at the most fundamental practicers of any religion, the people who are supposed to be the closest followers of these religions that promote peace are extremely violent and divisive. For example, look at Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. These are three peace-loving religions in doctrine but the people who adhere the strictest to that doctrine are not peace-loving and accepting. Fundamental Christian groups protest outside the funerals of dead soldier chanting that the soldier is “burning in hell.” Would not the tenants of Christianity teach followers to try to help the family of the deceased instead of protesting outside their funeral? In Judaism there are Zionist groups within Orthodox Judaism who promote the policy of not negotiating with the Palestinians but instead using Israeli military power to wipe them out so they can establish a new temple. Finally in Islam there are fundamentalist groups such as Salafists who use the peace-loving religion of Islam to justify spectacular acts of violence. All three of these religions talk about love in their doctrine but the most literal of those interpretations results in intolerance and sometimes violence. What and interesting paradox. Back to Turkey, while the governments of the EU are not fundamentalist Christians they are acting in a prejudiced way towards Turkey. If Christianity teaches tolerance (and I happen to know that it does because I am one) then why would the EU states not consider Turkey just as they would any other state seeking to join the EU? The answer, in very simple terms, goes back to religions being divisive instead to uniting. The divisiveness of religion has got to be the most important conflict producing/inflaming issue in IR because it not only makes conflict easier because of religious differences but because it has the power to work its way into high politically issue such as the potential accession of Turkey into the EU.