The new social order in Syria: Perceptions of radicalized Islamic groups and narratives of communal relations

Abstract

Attempts by radicalized groups in Syria to create a new exclusionary social order promise to have an enduring impact on Syrian society, culture and politics, posing a deep challenge to coexistence amongst the country's different religious communities. Amidst the ongoing instability and violence of the civil war and the social transformations underway, questions emerge as to how locals are reacting to these groups and the extent to which the exclusionary narratives propagated by radicalized groups have been successful in influencing or defining the emerging social order. This thesis explores local reactions to radicalized Islamic armed groups from the perspectives of members of different religious communities. The aim is to reveal how Syrians are responding to Islamic radicalization, and to their narratives of antagonistic and exclusionary communal relations by employing qualitative methods to collect and analyse data about local perceptions of radicalized Islamic factions and inter-communal relations. Findings reveal that the theological discourse of 'othering' employed by radicalized groups divides society into groups of 'us' and 'them' in a hierarchical structure based on religious markers and identifiers. The desired outcome is the reduction of social relations in Syria to bare numeric and religious constructions, and the subordination of all non-conforming subjects and religious groups. This thesis shows that while radicalized Islamic factions might not be successful in achieving their political objectives of absolute control and dominion, their exclusionary narratives find favourable conditions in Syria to influence the emerging social order. The field data reveals that the history of ethno-religious relations and narratives of tolerance within Islam are powerful factors influencing local perceptions. However, the same applies to the episode of radicalization witnessed today, which promises to become an enduring and influential presence in people's cognitive frames, imaginations and memories, thus shaping identity and group formation processes. In this sense, similar to other influential historical episodes in Syria, particularly those of inter-communal strife, the mythification of the current episode will ensue and develop with generations to come. On one hand, this complicates the cognitive strategies and worldviews of Syrians even more by adding one more influential factor to their narratives. Unfortunately, the exclusionary discourse and policies of radicalized Islamic groups reinforce pre-existing scepticism and antagonistic notions of ethno-religious relations, thus undermining narratives of tolerance and coexistence. This thesis reveals that the antagonistic theological discourses of radicalized Islamic groups and their exclusionary operations have already left a significant mark on social perceptions in Syria, and find favourable conditions to shape the emerging social order based on their antagonistic and exclusionary vision of communal relations.