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Globalization
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 RELI
GION
 System of socially shared
symbols, beliefs and rituals, that
is directed toward a sacred
supernatural realm and addresses
the ultimate meaning of
existence.

 There are many different

religions, each with a different
set of beliefs.
Buddhism– no deities/eternal God; focuses on spiritual liberation (Nirvana: world of no
suffering)

Taoism - humans and animals should live in balance with the Tao, or the universe. Taoists
believe in spiritual immortality, where the spirit of the body joins the universe after death.
DICHOTOMY

 Globalization is the historical process by which all the

world's people increasingly come to live in a single social
unit. It implicates religion in several ways.
 From religious or theological perspective, globalization
calls forth religious response and interpretation.
 Yet religion and religions have also played important
roles in bringing about and characterizing globalization.
INTERDEPENDENCE
 Far from being secularized, the contemporary world is furiously religious fervor
occurring in one form or another in all the major religious traditions, and in many
places in imaginative synthesis, of one or more world religions with indigenous
faith.
 Not purely secular
 It is also affected by religious beliefs and practices

Effect of Religion to Global Governance

 Religions are the foundations of modern republics.

Government – religious basis Good for all

Passing a law – public good (ideally) Voting – benefits all –
listen to the majority
 E.g. Malaysian government places religion at the center of the political system
 Constitution: “Islam is the religion of the federation”, and the ruler of each
state is also the “head of religion of Islam
 Migration of faith across the globe as being a major
feature of the world throughout the 20th century
 Jose Casanova: Historically, religion has always been at
the center of all great
movements political conflicts and
of social reform.

 Religion is not the aggressive force that steps or slows

down globalization; It is a proactive force that gives
communities a new and powerful basis of identity.
Effect of Globalization to Religion

 Through globalization, religion continues to grow from places to places

 Globalization involves the networking and expansion of one’s local
products, beliefs and practices, often through technology.
 Religion has entered the information age and has globalized at accelerating
rates through technological advancement.
 Tools of uniting people all over the world on religious basis.
1.Internet sites.
2.Social networks.
3.Cell phone apps.
Our daily bread – straight from the heart – Zoom/meet -
4.Charity fund
5.Movies.
6.Religious schools
7.Books. – theology
 It is now possible for any religion to spread beyond national
borders, allowing even small religious movements to engage
in overseas activities and leading to new unseen religious
developments

 Globalization has freed communities from the constraints of

the nation-state.

 Religion transnationalism= “religion going global”.

Religion, Global Conflict & Peace

 Religious ideas, values, symbols and rites

relate to deep issues of existence, it should
not be surprising when religion enters the
picture in times of crisis.
 In the view of international conflict,
religion has been regarded as new source
of clash between and among people with
different and similar beliefs.

Extremist/extremisms- fight/war/kill
Pluralism – religion – accept different religions
9-11 Attack
 The Al-Qaeda terrorist network espoused a form of Islamic extremism that was militant and
reinforced hatred of the United States and the West in general. Both America’s involvement in the
Gulf War and the support for Israel led al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and others in 1998 to
issue a fatwa, a verdict based on Islamic law, for Muslims everywhere to kill Americans and
American allies.

Interstate system – competing and allying states

 After attacks on U.S. embassies in two major East African cities that same year, the FBI placed bin
Laden on the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. The next planned attack would become one of the
deadliest attacks on American soil since Pearl Harbor in 1941.

 On September 11, 2001, 19 Saudi Arabian Muslims representing al-Qaeda hijacked four
commercial airplanes, two of which crashed into New York City’s Twin Towers and one crashed
into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The Twin Towers collapsed and part of the Pentagon was
destroyed.

 Approximately 3,000 people died that day. Rushing to the scene of the attacks, 400 police officers
and firefighters were killed. All 19 terrorists died.
 Immediately afterwards, U.S. government officials named bin Laden and
the al-Qaeda organization prime suspects. Bin Laden initially denied
responsibility but later admitted to coordinating the attacks.

 As a militant Islamist group, the suicide mission on September 11 was seen

as a religious one by the airplane hijackers. The handwritten instructions
read, "You should ask God for guidance, you should ask God for help....
Continue to recite the [Koran]. Purify your heart and clean it from all
earthly matters." The instructions continued, "The time of fun and waste
has gone. The time of judgment has arrived...You will be entering
paradise. You will be entering the happiest life, everlasting life."

 Despite the religious motives for the terrorist attacks, Muslims themselves
generally do not approve of the terrorist attacks nor the methods espoused
by Islamic extremist groups like al-Qaeda.
What is the role of religion in this global crisis?

 On the one hand some political leaders—along with many scholars of comparative religion—have
assured us that religion has had nothing to do with these vicious acts, and that religion’s innocent
images have been used in perverse ways by evil and essentially irreligious political actors.
 On the other hand, there are the radio talk show hosts and even a few social scientists who affirm
that religion, especially Islam, has had everything to do with it—and not just ordinary religion,
but a perverse strain of fundamentalism that has infected normal religion and caused it to go bad.
Global Conflict and Peace
 The era of globalization brought with it 3 enormous problems, namely:
1.Identity
2.Accountability
3.Security

 Religion provides answer to these problems

1.It provides a sense of identity
2.Traditional religious leadership provides a sense of accountability.
3.Religion offers a sense of security.
 Religious affiliation and conviction often motivates religious
communities to advocate particular peace-related government
policies. Religious communities also directly oppose repression
and promote peace and reconciliation.

 Religious leaders and institutions can mediate in conflict

situations, serve as a communication link between opposing
sides, and provide training in peacemaking methodologies.
END OF SLIDE

THANK