Framing Religious Conflicts - The Role of Elites in Religiously Charged Civil Wars

Many contemporary civil wars are fought between groups of different faiths. The paper argues, however, that religious traditions and differences rarely influence the form and course of conflicts directly. Political and military leaders have to offer convincing religious frames that are designed to legitimize the use of force and to mobilize the faithful to violent action. These framing processes can be more or less successful, depending inter alia on the authority of the political and religious leadership, on the coherence and appropriateness of their frames, on the existence of persuasive counter-frames, and on the availability of Communication infrastructures that allow for the dissemination of religious frames. Comparing violent conflicts in the Philippines and Thailand, the paper shows that religious mobilization, can fall along the theoretically predicted lines. Consequently, instrumentalization of religious traditions by political elites can be prevented.