Compulsion in Religion: Saddam Hussein, Islam, and the Roots of Insurgencies in Iraq

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Samuel Helfont

Compulsion in Religion

Saddam Hussein, Islam, and the Roots of Insurgencies in Iraq

Samuel Helfont

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English

Oxford University Press
07 May 2018

History; Middle Eastern history; Religion & politics; Politics & government

"Samuel Helfont draws on extensive research with Ba'thist archives to investigate the roots of the religious insurgencies that erupted in Iraq following the American-led invasion in 2003. In looking at Saddam Hussein's policies in the 1990s, many have interpreted his support for state-sponsored religion as evidence of a dramatic shift away from Arab nationalism toward political Islam. While Islam did play a greater role in the regime's symbols and Saddam's statements in the 1990s than it had in earlier decades, the regime's internal documents challenge this theory. The ""Faith Campaign"" Saddam launched during this period was the culmination of a plan to use religion for political ends, begun upon his assumption of the Iraqi presidency in 1979. At this time, Saddam began constructing the institutional capacity to control and monitor Iraqi religious institutions. The resulting authoritarian structures allowed him to employ Islamic symbols and rhetoric in public policy, but in a controlled manner. Saddam ultimately promoted a Ba'thist interpretation of religion that subordinated it to Arab nationalism, rather than depicting it as an independent or primary political identity.

The point of this examination of Iraqi history, other than to correct the current

understanding of Saddam Hussein's political use of religion throughout his presidency, is to examine how Saddam's controlled use of religion was dismantled during the US-Iraq war, and consequently set free extremists that were suppressed under his regime. When the American-led invasion destroyed the regime's authoritarian structures, it unwittingly unhinged the forces that these structures were designed to contain, creating an atmosphere infused with religion, but lacking the checks provided by the former regime. Groups such as the Sadrists, al-Qaida, and eventually the Islamic State emerged out of this context to unleash the insurgencies that have plagued post-2003 Iraq."

By: Samuel Helfont
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 157mm, Width: 236mm, Spine: 28mm
Weight: 1g
ISBN: 9780190843311
ISBN 10: 0190843314
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 07 May 2018
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Preface and Acknowledgements Introduction: Religion and Authoritarianism in Saddam's Iraq Part I: The Penetration of Iraq's Religious Landscape 1979-1989 Chapter 1: Saddam Takes Control Chapter 2: Co-opting and Coercing Religion in Saddam's Iraq Chapter 3: Co-opting and Coercing Shi'ism Chapter 4: Suppressing the Islamist Opposition Chapter 5: Addressing the Limits of Coercion and Co-optation Part II: The Gulf War and its Aftermath 1990-1993 Chapter 6: Continuity and Change in the Gulf War Chapter 7: Iraq's Religious Landscape in the Wake of the Gulf War Part III: The Faith Campaign 1993-2003 Chapter 8: A Transformed Religious Landscape Chapter 9: The Regime and the Shi'is in the 1990s Chapter 10: Mechanisms of Control Chapter 11: Putting the System to Work Part IV: The Invasion of Iraq War and the Emergence of Religious Insurgencies Chapter 12: American Misconceptions about Iraq and the 2003 Invasion Chapter 13: Emergence of Religious Insurgencies in Iraq Conclusion: Saddam the Counter-Insurgent and other Reflections on Ruling Iraq Notes Bibliography Index

Samuel Helfont is Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Pennsylvania and Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia.

Reviews for Compulsion in Religion: Saddam Hussein, Islam, and the Roots of Insurgencies in Iraq

Samuel Helfont has provided us with groundbreaking insights into the way Saddam Hussein's Ba'th Party used Islam to control the Iraqi population during his dictatorship-and how the abrupt removal of that control influenced the insurgencies that erupted in the wake of the American invasion in 2003. Most importantly, this book illuminates why those insurgencies were so virulent, and how the wake of Saddam Hussein's use of Islamic institutions to control the Iraqi population will continue to ignite conflict in the Middle East for generations to come. --John Nagl, Lieutenant Colonel, USA (Retired), and author of Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam Samuel Helfont tackles an important subject that is significant Samuel Helfont tackles an important subject that is significant not only for its historical aspects but also for its relevance to current affairs given the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and ISIL. He has tapped the Iraqi archives, providing a real contribution to the literature on Iraq's history and issues related to current politics. --Joseph Sassoon, author of The Iraqi Refugees: The New Crisis in the Middle East