In the logic of Religious Violence

In the logic of religious violence by Jurgensmeyer, the focus was focused on the case of Punjab. He explains the reasons why and how event of 1984 in the Punjab took place. Mark Juergensmeyer writes: “One reason often given to explain why religious symbols are associated with acts of real violence is that religion is exploited by violent people. This explanation, making religion the pure and innocent victim of the darker forces of human nature, can be overstated; yet it contains some truth” In that case religion is sometimes exploited. In the case of the Sikhs, in the beginning, they were demanding some economic, political, and social demands, later; they demanded a separate Sikh state called khalistan. Bhindranwale became a leader of the Sikhs. He and his followers started to use weapons and they did violent acts against the government in the Punjab. The Sikhs complained that the Sikhs are a minority community in India, and their separate identity within the Indian family is in danger. They wanted to live in a separate Sikh state. Juergensmeyer chooses to focus on the speeches of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale to understand the militant Sikh position. He also presents the reasons of violence by Bhindranwale and his group in the Punjab in his article. Bhindranwale and his followers were demanding a separate Sikh state and wanted to establish Khalistan but Indian government did not accept their demand because the government did not want portion of India by the Sikhs. Bhindranwale started a movement against the government and his folowers were doing violent acts in the Punjab to support Bhindranwale’s struggle. Generally, from this article, Juergensmeyer presents the general relation between violence and religion.

 

All the acts of killing are violent, and the term religion is more difficult to define, and although Juergensmeyer believes religion plays an important role in the terrorist attacks but he also doesn’t believe that religion ordinarily leads to violence. That happens only with the coalescence of a peculiar set of circumstances-political, social and ideological- when religion becomes fused with violent expressions of social aspirations, personal pride, and movements for political change. Perhaps, “Cosmic War” discusses the commonly held belief of religiously inspired terrorists that they are involved in a life and death struggle between good and evil. This makes it easier for terrorists to see themselves as martyrs and thus become willing to participate in suicide bombings. For Sikh, they argued that they are at the time of crisis that we are in a great time of history and its time of conflict between good and evil, and truth and untruth. For them to be soldier was a religious experience that was almost redemptive in its quality. And the activism and movement of Sikh warrior was not simply a struggle over land or politics, it was ideological politic. And it was motivated by the sense of spiritual fulfillment and the passion of holy war.