Aligning Religion with Foreign Policy: The Case of the UAE
(Abozar Rafiee Ghohsareh)

Name: Aligning Religion with Foreign Policy: The Case of the UAE
Author: Abozar Rafiee Ghohsareh

İsim	Aligning Religion with Foreign Policy: The Case of the UAE
İsim Orijinal	Abozar Rafiee Ghohsareh
Yazar	Abozar Rafiee Ghohsareh
Basım Yeri	Allameh Tabataba'i University Press -
Konu	Islam
Tür	Kitap
Dil	Farsça
Dijital	Evet
Yazma	Hayır
Kütüphane:	Oxford İslami Araştırmalar Çevrimiçi
Demirbaş Numarası	ISSN: 2345-6140, EISSN: 2476-6208, DOI: 10.22054/qpss.2023.64112.2941
Kayıt Numarası	cdi_doaj_primary_oai_doaj_org_article_48ac20ec82e141ad92a43e838d8ff52b
Lokasyon	DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals
Notlar	Introduction U Islam has always played a significant role in politics and governance in Islamic societies, owing to its political and social nature. This role and significance have led authoritarian regimes in these countries to use Islam for legitimizing their actions in both domestic and foreign policy. The UAE government is a prime example in this respect, as it has manipulated religion and brought it in line with politics. To harmonize religion with its domestic and foreign policy, the UAE government has established its own religious institutions and attracted prominent religious figures, particularly after the so-called Arab Spring. These institutions appear to be independent, but they are fully supported by the UAE government in practice. In addition, prominent Sunni religious figures that support Sufi and non-political Islam are appointed as their leaders.Research Question(s)What were the goals of the UAE government in harmonizing religion with its foreign policy and what measures did it take to achieve these goals?ConclusionThe UAE government has taken extensive measures to deal with Islamist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, in order to prevent the spread of the Arab Spring and its potential dangers. One of the measures in this line is creating religious and intellectual foundations to counter Islamism. In response to the Arab Spring, the UAE government established institutions like Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, the Fatwa Council, Tabah Foundation, and other religious centers. It also attracted renowned scholars with mystical and non-political leanings, such as Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah, Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, Habib Ali Zain al-Abidin al-Jifri, and Ali Nayed. These religious centers have significant financial support from the UAE government and are in competition with religious institutions supported by Qatar’s government. They promote an apolitical or neo-traditionalist Islam that opposes revolution, advocates maintaining the status quo, and supports unquestioning obedience to ruling political systems—a tendency which is also called theology of obedience.The UAE government has tried to use religious institutions to legitimize its actions in the field of politics, especially in the field of foreign policy. In this article, three examples of the efforts made by the political system ruling the UAE to "harmonize religion with foreign policy" have been examined: the Arab Spring, cutting off relations with Qatar, and establishing relations with Israel. In all three of these cases, the mentioned religious institutions fully supported the positions and actions of the UAE government and tried to create religious legitimacy for these actions and positions. In fact, the political system ruling the UAE has been very interested in using religious institutions and figures to legitimize its controversial policies inside and outside the country.
Bir Parçasıdır	Pizhūhishʹhā-yi rāhburdī-i siyāsat, 2023-07, Vol.12 (45), p.209-240

Kaynağa git Oxford İslami Araştırmalar Çevrimiçi Oxford Islamic Studies Online

Aramaya Dön

Oxford İslami Araştırmalar Çevrimiçi

Kaynağa git

Aligning Religion with Foreign Policy: The Case of the UAE

(Abozar Rafiee Ghohsareh)

Yazar Abozar Rafiee Ghohsareh

Basım Yeri Allameh Tabataba'i University Press -

Konu Islam

Tür Kitap

Dil Farsça

Dijital Evet

Yazma Hayır

Kütüphane Oxford İslami Araştırmalar Çevrimiçi

Demirbaş Numarası ISSN: 2345-6140, EISSN: 2476-6208, DOI: 10.22054/qpss.2023.64112.2941

Kayıt Numarası cdi_doaj_primary_oai_doaj_org_article_48ac20ec82e141ad92a43e838d8ff52b

Lokasyon DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals

Notlar Introduction U Islam has always played a significant role in politics and governance in Islamic societies, owing to its political and social nature. This role and significance have led authoritarian regimes in these countries to use Islam for legitimizing their actions in both domestic and foreign policy. The UAE government is a prime example in this respect, as it has manipulated religion and brought it in line with politics. To harmonize religion with its domestic and foreign policy, the UAE government has established its own religious institutions and attracted prominent religious figures, particularly after the so-called Arab Spring. These institutions appear to be independent, but they are fully supported by the UAE government in practice. In addition, prominent Sunni religious figures that support Sufi and non-political Islam are appointed as their leaders.Research Question(s)What were the goals of the UAE government in harmonizing religion with its foreign policy and what measures did it take to achieve these goals?ConclusionThe UAE government has taken extensive measures to deal with Islamist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, in order to prevent the spread of the Arab Spring and its potential dangers. One of the measures in this line is creating religious and intellectual foundations to counter Islamism. In response to the Arab Spring, the UAE government established institutions like Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, the Fatwa Council, Tabah Foundation, and other religious centers. It also attracted renowned scholars with mystical and non-political leanings, such as Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah, Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, Habib Ali Zain al-Abidin al-Jifri, and Ali Nayed. These religious centers have significant financial support from the UAE government and are in competition with religious institutions supported by Qatar’s government. They promote an apolitical or neo-traditionalist Islam that opposes revolution, advocates maintaining the status quo, and supports unquestioning obedience to ruling political systems—a tendency which is also called theology of obedience.The UAE government has tried to use religious institutions to legitimize its actions in the field of politics, especially in the field of foreign policy. In this article, three examples of the efforts made by the political system ruling the UAE to "harmonize religion with foreign policy" have been examined: the Arab Spring, cutting off relations with Qatar, and establishing relations with Israel. In all three of these cases, the mentioned religious institutions fully supported the positions and actions of the UAE government and tried to create religious legitimacy for these actions and positions. In fact, the political system ruling the UAE has been very interested in using religious institutions and figures to legitimize its controversial policies inside and outside the country.

Bir Parçasıdır Pizhūhishʹhā-yi rāhburdī-i siyāsat, 2023-07, Vol.12 (45), p.209-240