Religious Texts and Practices As Tools of Resistance in Occupied Palestine 1948
Religious Texts and Practices As Tools of Resistance in Occupied Palestine 1948
Monday, 7 July 2025: 10:00
Location: SJES005 (Faculty of Legal, Economic, and Social Sciences (JES))
Oral Presentation
Following the collapse of the "dreams of Arab unity" due to the June 1967 war, political Islam movements emerged, establishing social and economic institutions under the banner "Islam is the solution." Among these was the Islamic movement in Israel, which gained momentum from the broader Islamic awakening and was officially founded in 1996, targeting Palestinians in the occupied territories who possess Israeli citizenship. Unlike its counterparts in the Palestinian territories, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, this movement did not engage in armed resistance. Instead, it has consistently rejected the legitimacy of the occupation since its inception in 1996. Its commitment to peaceful resistance ultimately led to its prohibition and classification as an outlaw group in November 2015.
Sociologist Christian Smith notes that religion fosters a common identity among its adherents, which can be utilized not only to legitimize existing social, political, and economic systems but also to challenge and dismantle them. Smith asserts that “religion can actually help keep everything in its right place. But it can also turn the world upside down.”
This study will examine how Israel perceives the activities of the Islamic movement as a threat to national security and a disruptor of the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque. The movement aligns with religious groups that resist colonial oppression by rejecting the occupier's authority. It argues that its challenge and non-violent resistance are rooted in Islamic principles. Furthermore, it organizes civil society initiatives that address various aspects -religious, social, educational, intellectual, economic -of Palestinian life based on Sheikh Raed Salah's concept of a “self-made society,” introduced after the Second Intifada in 2000. This research will trace the development of the Islamic Movement while focusing on its religious activities and practices that serve as forms of resistance against its colonial circumstances.
Sociologist Christian Smith notes that religion fosters a common identity among its adherents, which can be utilized not only to legitimize existing social, political, and economic systems but also to challenge and dismantle them. Smith asserts that “religion can actually help keep everything in its right place. But it can also turn the world upside down.”
This study will examine how Israel perceives the activities of the Islamic movement as a threat to national security and a disruptor of the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque. The movement aligns with religious groups that resist colonial oppression by rejecting the occupier's authority. It argues that its challenge and non-violent resistance are rooted in Islamic principles. Furthermore, it organizes civil society initiatives that address various aspects -religious, social, educational, intellectual, economic -of Palestinian life based on Sheikh Raed Salah's concept of a “self-made society,” introduced after the Second Intifada in 2000. This research will trace the development of the Islamic Movement while focusing on its religious activities and practices that serve as forms of resistance against its colonial circumstances.