Ritual Dynamics of Qur’an Burning

In this article I approach Qur’an burning from the perspective of ritual studies. By conducting a discourse analysis of a YouTube video of a Qur’an burning, I argue that it can be perceived as a ritualized performance that communicates a variety of meanings to a variety of audiences. On one hand, th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Pauha, Teemu (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: [publisher not identified] 2024
In: Temenos
Year: 2024, Volume: 60, Issue: 1, Pages: 57-80
Further subjects:B Discourse Analysis
B Violence
B Social media
B Ritual
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Description
Summary:In this article I approach Qur’an burning from the perspective of ritual studies. By conducting a discourse analysis of a YouTube video of a Qur’an burning, I argue that it can be perceived as a ritualized performance that communicates a variety of meanings to a variety of audiences. On one hand, the burning demarcates between ‘us’ and a Muslim ‘them’, thus serving to construct an ingroup identity. On the other, Muslims are constructed as a barbaric threat against which a civilized man is justified to use violence. To consolidate intergroup boundaries most effectively, Qur’an burning must be conducted within a community or preferably broadcast to a wide audience. Even when broadcast online, however, the act needs to involve a physical book. Consequently, both online and offline aspects are important for the ritualization of Qur’an burning.
ISSN:2342-7256
Contains:Enthalten in: Temenos
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.33356/temenos.136453