Religious Components in the Syrian Conflict (1970 until today): A Case Study From the Perspective of Theological Ethics

评估宗教对冲突和/或和平演变的贡献是神学伦理学的关键任务之一。到目前为止，这一贡献的所有复杂后果尚未得到澄清。宗教在哪些条件下有助于建立和平？它作为暴力来源的动机和理由的前提是什么？这个问题只能在考虑到具体情况的复杂性的案例研究的基础上得到回答。就叙利亚冲突而言，缺乏这一意义上的详细方法方法，侧重于宗教成分的相关性。因此，概述的研究项目应该确定正在进行的叙利亚冲突中的这些组成部分，从一开始就区分宗教作为合理化和动员暴力的资源的作用。长期以来，对中东冲突局势的分析忽视了宗教的作用，导致对冲突的具体动态产生了深远的误解，尤其是在上次伊拉克战争之前和期间。然而，就伦理判断而言，重要的是要深入了解不同的宗教身份，以及冲突各方在此基础上建立的辩护和动员策略。只有考虑到宗教因素-在它们与所有其他冲突来源和催化剂的相互作用中-才能全面分析和理解叙利亚战争。拟议的研究项目应遵循这一要求，因此，研究宗教成分在多大程度上影响了叙利亚战争的具体动态。迫切需要对叙利亚冲突及其前因后果中宗教与暴力的关系进行科学研究。从对叙利亚的具体实证案例研究开始，拟议的研究项目将继续使用来自叙利亚的这些实证证据，以便对宗教与暴力之间的关系进行更系统的评估。在此基础上，研究项目将得出（和平）伦理后果，在理想情况下，这些后果可能成为政治伦理的一部分，甚至是对政治家的建议。

It is one of the crucial tasks of theological ethics to assess the contribution of religion(s) to the evolution of conflicts and/or peace. Up to now, this contribution has not been clarified in all its complex ramifications. Under which conditions does religion contribute to peace-building, and what are the presuppositions for it to serve as a source of violence, by its motivation and justification?This question can only be answered on the basis of case studies that take into account the complexity of the specific scenario. Detailed methodological approaches in this sense, with a focus on the relevance of religious components, are missing with regard to the Syrian conflict. Therefore, the outlined research project is supposed to identify such components in the ongoing Syrian conflict, distinguishing from the outset between the role of religion as a resource for both the justification and the mobilisation of violence. Analyses of the conflictual situation in the Middle East too long have neglected the role of religion, leading to far-reaching misconceptions of the specific dynamics of conflict, not the least before and during the last Iraq War. For an ethical judgment, however, it is important to get insights into the different religious identities and the strategies of justification and mobilisation that are built upon them by the various parties of conflict. It is only by taking into account the religious factors - in their interaction with all the other sources and catalyzers of conflict -, that the war in Syria can be analysed and understood in its entirety.The proposed research project shall follow this requirement and, therefore, examine to which degree religious components shape the Syrian war in its specific dynamic. A scientific study with a focus on the relationship of religion and violence in the Syrian conflict and its antecedent is a desideratum. Starting with this specific and empirical case study on Syria, the proposed research project will go on to use this empricial evidence from Syria in order to get a more systematic evaluation of the relationship between religion and violence. Based on this, the research project shall draw (peace) ethical consequences, that, in the ideal case, could become parts of political ethics, even advice to politicians.