Holy Places
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War on Sacred Grounds (Cornell, 2009)
War on Sacred Grounds (Cornell, 2009)
Sacred sites offer believers the possibility of communing with the divine and achieving deeper insight into their faith. Yet their spiritual and cultural importance can lead to competition as religious groups seek to exclude rivals from practicing potentially sacrilegious rituals in the hallowed space and wish to assert their own claims. Holy places thus create the potential for military, theological, or political clashes, not only between competing religious groups but also between religious groups and secular actors.
Sacred sites offer believers the possibility of communing with the divine and achieving deeper insight into their faith. Yet their spiritual and cultural importance can lead to competition as religious groups seek to exclude rivals from practicing potentially sacrilegious rituals in the hallowed space and wish to assert their own claims. Holy places thus create the potential for military, theological, or political clashes, not only between competing religious groups but also between religious groups and secular actors.
In War on Sacred Grounds, I investigate the causes and properties of conflicts over sites that are both venerated and contested; he also proposes potential means for managing these disputes. I illustrate a complex and poorly understood political dilemma with accounts of the failures to reach settlement at Temple Mount/Haram el-Sharif, leading to the clashes of 2000, and the competing claims of Hindus and Muslims at Ayodhya, which resulted in the destruction of the mosque there in 1992. I also address more successful compromises in Jerusalem in 1967 and Mecca in 1979. Sacred sites, I contend, are particularly prone to conflict because they provide valuable resources for both religious and political actors yet cannot be divided.
In War on Sacred Grounds, I investigate the causes and properties of conflicts over sites that are both venerated and contested; he also proposes potential means for managing these disputes. I illustrate a complex and poorly understood political dilemma with accounts of the failures to reach settlement at Temple Mount/Haram el-Sharif, leading to the clashes of 2000, and the competing claims of Hindus and Muslims at Ayodhya, which resulted in the destruction of the mosque there in 1992. I also address more successful compromises in Jerusalem in 1967 and Mecca in 1979. Sacred sites, I contend, are particularly prone to conflict because they provide valuable resources for both religious and political actors yet cannot be divided.
Selected articles:
Selected articles:
“To Halve and to Hold: Conflicts over Sacred Space and the Problem of Indivisibility,” Security Studies, Vol. 12, No.4 (Summer 2003) (PDF)
“To Halve and to Hold: Conflicts over Sacred Space and the Problem of Indivisibility,” Security Studies, Vol. 12, No.4 (Summer 2003) (PDF)
Why do so many groups fight over holy places? I argue that sacred sites, unlike other plots of land, are indivisible. I show how this indivisibility arises from the elements of the sacred, as experienced by believers. I offer a typology of sacred places and discuss parameters that can help us assess how likely it is that conflict will break out over a particular holy place.
Why do so many groups fight over holy places? I argue that sacred sites, unlike other plots of land, are indivisible. I show how this indivisibility arises from the elements of the sacred, as experienced by believers. I offer a typology of sacred places and discuss parameters that can help us assess how likely it is that conflict will break out over a particular holy place.
How can a state conduct counterinsurgency when insurgents use sacred places as tactical bases? In Iraq, U.S. forces often had to choose between damaging mosques and sacrificing the success of a mission. I propose that preventive and postaction measures can have a greater impact on the success of an operation than any attempts to constrain the use of force at a sacred site.
How can a state conduct counterinsurgency when insurgents use sacred places as tactical bases? In Iraq, U.S. forces often had to choose between damaging mosques and sacrificing the success of a mission. I propose that preventive and postaction measures can have a greater impact on the success of an operation than any attempts to constrain the use of force at a sacred site.
“Islamic Just War Theory and the Challenge of Sacred Space in Iraq,” Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 61, No.1 (Fall/Winter 2007) (PDF)
“Islamic Just War Theory and the Challenge of Sacred Space in Iraq,” Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 61, No.1 (Fall/Winter 2007) (PDF)
What does Islamic jurisprudence have to say about fighting in or near mosques? How do oral traditions adjudicate the use of force, the protection of civilians in or near the mosque, and safeguarding the site from violence? A hostage crisis in Islam's holiest site in 1979 highlights the importance of cooperating with religious authorities who can interpret these laws.
What does Islamic jurisprudence have to say about fighting in or near mosques? How do oral traditions adjudicate the use of force, the protection of civilians in or near the mosque, and safeguarding the site from violence? A hostage crisis in Islam's holiest site in 1979 highlights the importance of cooperating with religious authorities who can interpret these laws.
“At the Horns of the Altar: Counterinsurgency and the Religious Roots of the Sanctuary Practice,” Civil Wars, Vol.10, No.1 (March 2008) (PDF)
“At the Horns of the Altar: Counterinsurgency and the Religious Roots of the Sanctuary Practice,” Civil Wars, Vol.10, No.1 (March 2008) (PDF)
This paper examines the origins and development of the sanctuary practice in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I show that the customs and laws relating to the sanctuary practice came to restrict the practice in space, scope and duration. Contemporary leaders can draw on these rules to confront the challenges posed by insurgents who appeal for the right of sanctuary.
This paper examines the origins and development of the sanctuary practice in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I show that the customs and laws relating to the sanctuary practice came to restrict the practice in space, scope and duration. Contemporary leaders can draw on these rules to confront the challenges posed by insurgents who appeal for the right of sanctuary.
“Counterinsurgency and the Problem of Sacred Space,” in Sumit Ganguly and C. Christine Fair (eds.), Treading on Sacred Ground (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008) (PDF)
“Counterinsurgency and the Problem of Sacred Space,” in Sumit Ganguly and C. Christine Fair (eds.), Treading on Sacred Ground (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008) (PDF)
During counterinsurgency operations at sacred places, sites deepen audience costs by adding a religious dimension to a conflict. These sites widen audience costs by drawing the attention of a national, regional, or even global community of believers to an event that might otherwise attract local observers only. Managing counterinsurgency operations thus requires familiarity with the relevant audiences observing these operations.
During counterinsurgency operations at sacred places, sites deepen audience costs by adding a religious dimension to a conflict. These sites widen audience costs by drawing the attention of a national, regional, or even global community of believers to an event that might otherwise attract local observers only. Managing counterinsurgency operations thus requires familiarity with the relevant audiences observing these operations.
“The Pessimist’s Guide to Religious Cooperation,” in Marshall J. Breger, Yitzhak Reiter and Leonard Hammer (eds.), Holy Places in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Confrontation and Co-Existence (London: Routledge, 2010) (PDF)
“The Pessimist’s Guide to Religious Cooperation,” in Marshall J. Breger, Yitzhak Reiter and Leonard Hammer (eds.), Holy Places in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Confrontation and Co-Existence (London: Routledge, 2010) (PDF)
Optimism about religious coexistence or sharing of sacred sites is dangerously misguided. Conflict at holy places is inevitable and division is impossible. The only exceptions can be found at small folk sites that occupy a marginal role in the religious landscape: Coexistence is only possible where it matters the least.
Optimism about religious coexistence or sharing of sacred sites is dangerously misguided. Conflict at holy places is inevitable and division is impossible. The only exceptions can be found at small folk sites that occupy a marginal role in the religious landscape: Coexistence is only possible where it matters the least.