Religion and Armed Conflict: Evidence from the Kurdish Conflict in Turkey
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
Published online on June 09, 2020
Abstract
["\nAbstract\nThis article examines the effectiveness of religion as a solution to ethno‐nationalist conflicts, drawing on the case of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan [PKK]) in Turkey. We utilize an original data set that contains data on Turkey's state‐sponsored mosques between 1980 and 2016 to test for the purported peacemaking potential of religion. Results from this data set, coupled with an alternative measure of the state's involvement in religion, show that increased Islamization has no discernible impact on lowering support for the ethno‐nationalist Kurdish political parties or insurgency.\n", "Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Volume 59, Issue 2, Page 327-340, June 2020. "]