KALINGA

Name: Branden Mark Salvio Blanza STATE UNIVERSITY Section: BSEE 1-A

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY

BULANAO, TABUK CITY, KALINGA, PHILIPPINES

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Activity 1:

How did religion respond in the global pandemic?

- People turn to religion for comfort and hope in times of crisis and uncertainty, and
March 2020 was one of those times. Religious meetings represent meaningful moments
for believers and may be particularly important for minorities. The COVID-19 pandemic
has impacted religion and faith in different ways. Numerous restrictions have been
implemented worldwide such as gatherings. As the time goes by, the religion all over the
world cope up with the pandemic. To avoid spreading the virus, some religion think of a
way to continue their religious activity. They undergo meetings through online platforms
like Zoom meetings or Google Meets.

Activity 2:

1.  “Religion and Globalization” by Victor Roudometof

- The sociology of religion continues to develop throughout the world, trying to
understand the relationship between religion and globalization. Two older approaches
to globalization include modernization theory, the functionalist derivative, and world-
systems theory, the Marxist approach. One of the conflicts between these theories is
whether they view capitalism as positive or difficult. However,
both assumed that modernization and capitalism could decrease the hold
of religion. Religion and globalization have been intertwined with each other
since the early empires attempted to expand their reach across what they perceived to be
world-space. Processes of globalization carried religious cosmologies
including traditional concepts of universalism – to the corners of the world, while these
cosmologies legitimated processes of globalization. The dynamic of inter-relation
has remained to the present, but with changing and sometimes new and intensifying
contradictions.

Globalization in its current phase has forced us to go beyond nationalist histories,

but world history more often than not emphasizes economics and politics and, in an
established secularist manner, underplays the formative role of religion. Instead, they
emerged historically together, imply one another, determine one another, and function as
 KALINGA
Name: Branden Mark Salvio Blanza STATE UNIVERSITY Section: BSEE 1-A

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY

BULANAO, TABUK CITY, KALINGA, PHILIPPINES

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clients within the changing area of communication and power that is, itself, always being
negotiated, invented, and re-invented through historical and social processes.

2. “Religion and Global Conflict” by Mark Juergensmeyer

- In matters of faith, there is significant discussion concerning the role and importance of
intense violence. Mark Juergensmeyer argues that spiritual violence sometimes requires
symbolic and performative pursuit of the conflict that will not be won, in which ending however is
impossible. In the broader environment, Brian Jenkins contended that terrorism is force for effect.
But neither Juergensmeyer nor Jenkins indicates that symbolic force is absent of instrumental
ends. As both Juergensmeyer and S.N. Eisenstadt affirm, even strictly symbolic violence may
justify personal aggression. And these consequences of terrorism are not only symbolic. Instead,
violent activities may move into larger dynamics in causally significant ways. For example, the
sheer figures of deaths at Ku Klux Klan lynchings, was little relative to the colored population in
the USA region, but lynchings had white racists the potent device of social control.

Despite its incoherence, the idea that religion is prone to violence thus enforces a binary
opposition between "the secular West" and a religious who is essentially irrational and violent.
The conflict becomes explicable in terms of the essential qualities of the two opponents, not in
terms of actual historical encounters. So, for example, Juergensmeyer attempts to explain the
animosity of the religious toward America: Why is America the enemy? This question is hard for
observers of international politics to answer, and harder still for ordinary Americans to fathom.
Many have watched with horror as their compatriots and symbols of their country have been
destroyed by people whom they do not know, from cultures they can scarcely identify on a global
atlas, and for reasons that do not seem readily apparent. The problem is that these are not
merely political or ideological conflicts; rather, they are cultural conflicts that are more complex
than those between two countries.

However, Juergensmeyer is able to come up with four causes" from these frames of
source" of America's enemies. First, America frequently finds itself cast as a "secondary enemy."
"In its role as regimes around the world. This has frequently put the United States in the
unfortunate position of being a defender and promoter of secular governments considered by
 KALINGA
Name: Branden Mark Salvio Blanza STATE UNIVERSITY Section: BSEE 1-A

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY

BULANAO, TABUK CITY, KALINGA, PHILIPPINES

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Page of
No.:

their religious opponents as primary enemies." Juergensmeyer cites as an example the case of
Iran, where "America was tarred by its association with the Sha."

1. The Rise of ISIS

Summary:

ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is a Sunni jihadist organization with a
mostly violent ideology that declares itself a caliphate and claims religious authority over all
Muslims. It was inspired by al-Qaida but was later publicly dismissed from the organization.
Terrorism experts have been continuously analyzing this terrorist group's capabilities in various
areas and have discovered that their influence and sources of finance and organization are
particularly derived from their financing, management, and organization; their knowledge of
using social media for recruitment and fundraising; and the instability that spawned the group as
a regional problem in the Middle East.
As the principal distributor and sponsor of firearms in Iraq, this organization has sent
messages and threats throughout Asia and even to the United States. This advent of terrorism,
which is usual in the Middle East, has gotten out of hand since the birth of Isis, which has had
major cultural and economic consequences as it has looted thousands of historic heritage sites in
Iraq and Syria in 2013. According to some sources, the black market sale of stolen antiquities
may be ISIS' second-greatest source of wealth, behind oil. Several of these old items have been
discovered in London antique shops.
Even after all these years, ISIS's impact and capabilities to ruin and injure civilians have been
well documented. This not only jeopardizes Iraq's integrity, but it may also lead to the redrawing
of boundaries throughout the region. This roving, battling, and killing organization seeks to
promote regressive politics and religious extremism. Even as their leaders preach a return to the
early days of Islam, fighters are destroying sacred places and rich antiques. They even keep
slaves and women and finally kill them, instilling terror in every citizen who hears the group's
name.
Honestly, their influence have been felt here in the Philippines as the terrorist attacks are
often linked to Isis even though it is not. Their impact has been resulting to a widespread fear that
is felt in the whole land of Asia.
 KALINGA
Name: Branden Mark Salvio Blanza STATE UNIVERSITY Section: BSEE 1-A

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY

BULANAO, TABUK CITY, KALINGA, PHILIPPINES

Page
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Reaction Paper
The story of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) started even before Prime Minister
Nouri al Maliki flew to Washington to mark the occasion. On the other hand, the graveness of its
influence and power to Iraq has burned the fire on with that meeting held with President Obama,
where he stated only with Iraq with flowery words such as self-governing, that is inclusive and
that has enormous potential. This statement resulted to such disappointments coming from the
people and experts as the U.S President haven’t seen or just turned blinded on the real issue that
is happening in the land of Iraq.
While Maliki was in Washington, Maliki received a phone call from Baghdad about a
terrorist plot implicating his vice president, Tareq al Hashemi, the most senior Sunni politician in
the Shia-led government. It accused Hashemi’s bodyguards of planning an attack on Shia targets.
When he received the message, he immediately ask President Obama as well however, the U.S
President might have acknowledged it as a threat, but there is an existing rules in the borders of
each country and this problem, as stated by Obama “an internal hurdle”. With this event, this
serves as the green light for Maliki to arrest Hashemi after he returned to Baghdad.
Back in Iraq, Maliki’s eradications of Sunnis has continued. And Maliki upped the ante in
December 2012, when his police rounded up the bodyguards of another prominent Sunni leader,
Finance Minister Rafi al Essawi, who is on the other hand, greatly respected by the people
knowing that he is a peaceful man.
They knew that Maliki is a problem, however, because of his great influence and image to
people on how a great influencer he is, it’s been hard to dethrone him.
The US ambassador has encouraged the government to provide support to pro-Western
Syrian rebels. Otherwise, they warned that al Qaeda would take over in Iraq and Syria. The more
moderate Syrian rebels suffered in the absence of US arms. Meanwhile, Al Qaeda was preparing
to re-enter Iraq. In a campaign called "breaking the walls," they carried out a series of attacks
against Iraqi jails. With recently released prisoners, Al Qaeda's ranks grew.
With Maliki's continued failure, Iraq voted for a new administration in Baghdad in 2010.
However, the opposition's representatives, including Sunni Arabs Hashemi and Issawi, were
expelled. They were humiliated, and the people tried to organize a regional alliance. They
attempted civil disobedience. Maliki's army launched an attack on them. As a result, they've
taken up arms.
 KALINGA
Name: Branden Mark Salvio Blanza STATE UNIVERSITY Section: BSEE 1-A

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY

BULANAO, TABUK CITY, KALINGA, PHILIPPINES

Page
Page of
No.:

With Maliki's continued failure, Iraq voted for a new administration in Baghdad in 2010.
However, the opposition's representatives, including Sunni Arabs Hashemi and Issawi, were
expelled. They were humiliated, and the people tried to organize a regional alliance. They
attempted civil disobedience. Maliki's army launched an attack on them. As a result, they've
taken up arms.
ISIS is a threat to the United States. ISIS poses a serious threat to American interests in the
Middle East in the short run. Nothing indicates that they would do anything other than ethnically
cleanse the region and provoke a Sunni-Shia civil war. Long term, if they establish the Islamic
State that they have declared, it would certainly create a threat, first to Europe, then to us.
ISIS surrounded the Syrian town of Kobani, directly on the Turkish border, one week after
the president stated he would expand air strikes into Syria. The US is attempting to coordinate
military assistance from more than 20 nations, but as U.S.-led coalition air strikes bombed ISIS
positions in Kobani, the Turkish army stood just across the border, refusing to take part.
On June 6th, 2014, ISIS sent several suicide car bombs into downtown Mosul, along with
ISIS fighters in pickup trucks. The Iraqi army, on the other hand, was seen as a Shia militia. With
no local support, the army had deserted by June 10th with barely a fight.
Similarly, it took only 800 ISIS militants, with the help of local Ba’athist military cadres, to
secure a city of 1.8 million people. The original intelligence was that ISIS did not come to
invade Mosul. They didn’t come to take it over. They came to break a bunch of people out of
prison. From Mosul, ISIS rapidly advanced down the Tigris and captured Qayyarah, al Shirqat,
Hawijah and Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam Hussein. There, ISIS was easily able to round up
several hundred Iraqi soldiers. ISIS recorded their execution.