Securitization as a Tool of Regime Survival: the Deployment of Religious Rhetoric in Bashar al-Asad's Speeches

• Autores: Rahaf Aldoughli
• Localización: Middle East Journal, ISSN 0026-3141, Vol. 75, Nº. 1, 2021, págs. 9-32
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • This article analyzes the role of Sunni Islam in speeches given to religious scholars by Syrian president Bashar al-Asad in 2014 and 2017. I discuss how religion was used in these speeches as a security tool to consolidate authority, legitimize the Ba'thist regime, and marginalize political dissidents. I specifically highlight the emphasis Asad placed on convincing government-recognized 'ulama to support state security measures and to the novel links he constructed between Islam and national unity.