Religiously Motivated Violence
Authors: Gregg Heather S. 
Published: June 2016

Violence done in the name of religion is not a new phenomenon, nor is it confined to just one faith tradition. The causes of religiously motivated violence, however, have taken on new importance in the modern age, particularly with its connection to recent acts of terrorism and social violence, such as the rise of al-Qaeda and ISIS, the persecution of Muslims by Buddhist monks in Myanmar, the emergence of Hindu nationalism in India, and the Christian Identity movement in the United States, to name but a few examples. This article aims to provide an overview of literature that investigates the causes of religiously motivated violence and a possible means of mitigating these acts done in the name of faith. It focuses primarily on contemporary examples of religiously motivated violence, but also includes important historical cases that provide insights into the conditions under which leaders and followers engage in violence in the name of faith and, in historical cases, how religiously motivated violence came to an end. Specifically, the article draws on a wide array of literature across academic disciplines to better understand the social, political, economic, and ideological conditions that fuel interpretations of religions calling for violence in the name faith, the willingness of adherents to answer the call to violence, and—with historic cases—the conditions under which violence was abandoned. For example, literature on fundamentalism and religious nationalism stresses the role that secularization plays in fueling a religious backlash that encourages adherents to get back to the “fundamentals” of the faith. Social movements often capitalize on the different resources that religions bring to organizing and coordinating mass movements, such as religious leaders, networks of congregations, material resources such as money and buildings, and moral codes that create perseverance in the face of adversity. Within these examples, violence is not a foregone conclusion, and examples can be found of leaders and groups that react to these perceived threats nonviolently (the Amish in the United States, Gandhi in India). However, the article pays particular attention to theories and examples where religious reactions to social, political, and ideological threats become violent in defense of or in promotion of the faith. Within this approach, consideration is given to a wide array of religious traditions, not just the biggest or most prevalent examples of religiously motivated violence to date. Much attention is paid in the early 21st century to violence and terrorism done in the name of Islam. However, religiously motivated violence also exists within modern-day Christianity, Judaism, and even Hinduism and Buddhism, two religions commonly perceived as nonviolent. Moreover, historical examples shed light on the conditions under which violent movements arose within specific religions and the conditions under which they were abandoned. The article is divided into four broad categories. The first section includes primary documents and databases. The second grouping provides theories of religiously motivated violence, including the conditions that create “apocalyptic warriors,” fundamentalists’ backlash against secularism and globalization, religious nationalism and its bid to make states and governments organized around religion, religion and social movements, and religion and ethnic conflict. The third category outlines specific topics in religiously motivated violence, including contested sacred space, religious terrorism, suicide operations, new religious movements and violence, and the concept of “just war.” And the fourth section investigates religiously motivated violence within specific religions, including Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, and Sikhism.