Evaluating the Resonance of Official Islam in Oman, Jordan, and Morocco

Abstract

Acts of political violence carried out by Muslim individuals has generated international support for governments that espouse so-called “moderate Islam” as a means of preventing terrorism. Governments also face domestic skepticism about moderate Islam, especially if the alteration of official Islam is seen as resulting from external pressure. By evaluating the views of individuals that disseminate the state’s preferred interpretation of Islam—members of the religious and educational bureaucracy—this research assesses the variation in the resonance of official Islam in three different Arab monarchies: Oman, Jordan, and Morocco. The evidence suggests that if official Islam is consistent with earlier content and directed internally as well as externally, it is likely to resonate. Resonance was highest in Oman, as religious messaging about toleration was both consistent over time and directed internally, and lowest in Jordan, where the content shifted and foreign content differed from domestic. In Morocco, messages about toleration were relatively consistent, although the state’s emphasis on building a reputation for toleration somewhat undermined its domestic credibility. The findings have implications for understanding states’ ability to shift their populations’ views on religion, as well as providing greater nuance for interpreting the capacity of state-sponsored rhetoric to prevent violence.

Negative Impoliteness and Reconstruction of Identity: Cyberpragmatics Analysis of Palestinian Conflict News Comments on Arab Youtube Channel

“…Speakers consider the importance of the unity of Arab countries to overcome the occupation experienced by the Palestinian people. It is different from the findings of (Al Zidjaly, 2010;Culpeper et al, 2017;Sheline, 2021) which revealed the context of religious identity in impoliteness speech on social media. Thus, research findings will contribute to the development of theories and studies of language impoliteness (Haugh, 2018).…”

“…The study draws on Spencer-Oatey (2007 where Arabic Youtube user comments are dominated by impolite language. From the aspect of the object, this study focuses on discussing the Palestinian conflict, while previous studies discuss conflicts in other Arab countries (Badarneh & Migdadi, 2018;El-Falaky, 2019;Gordon et al, 2017;Harlow, 2012;Labben, 2018;Sheline, 2021;Sinatora, 2019).…”