Consider The Political Importance Of Religion With Reference To The

Consider The Political Importance Of Religion With Reference To The Consider The Political Importance Of Religion With Reference To The Country Of Lebanon â€" Essay Example > More than anywhere else religion plays an integral role in Middle Eastern ethnic conflicts, especially the Muslim sates in the Middle East than in Muslim states outside the region. Thereby, meaning that although Islam might have some answers to the importance of religion in the region, it however fails to explain it wholly. The historical significance of religion in the Middle East could give some explanation being the region from where sprouted three major forms of religion. Yet the importance of religion in the Middle East is not a new phenomenon and hence the study done is solely based upon the findings previously discovered (Lynch 2006, p. 14-9). As a region Middle East has always been the least democratic and almost wholly autocratic part in the world. The observant fact is that the Muslim states outside the region of the Middle East are more autocratic as compared to the non-Middle Eastern states yet remain less autocratic than the Middle Eastern states. All the Muslim state s outside the region of Middle East are mostly autocratic than non-Muslim counterparts but less autocratic to the states within the Middle East. Hence Islam may not be fully responsible for the cause of autocracy in the Middle East (Lynch 2006, p. 77-84). To further explain we may take history to throw light on the matter. Democracy and the liberal ideologies are the by-products of the West. Hence it is easy to see that the West is the most democratic part of the world. The regions that remain influenced by the west for example the states of Latin America, which itself started as being a colony of the west and the its people adopting exclusively the western languages are fully democratized. Soviet bloc remains different as having had very little exposure to the central European events namely Renaissance, Reformation and Enlightenment. For a century it followed what is known as Marxism but today it too is being democratized (Emadi 2001, p. 63-72). In Lebanon there are many religiou s splits and is rather complicated, as the religious groups are numerous. These groups are religiously and demographically very complex and their divisions which are so many date back all the way to at least 15 centuries and hence their age old rivalries continue even today and so is the way in which they live. As of today some coherence can be seen and this was the outcome of the most recent Lebanese Civil War in strife for ethnic cleansing (Emadi 2001, p. 153-166). Although Lebanon harbours the largest proportion of Christians compared to all the Arab countries, yet what is more difficult is the fact that that both Christians and Muslims are sub-divided further into numerous sects. Thereby the statistical portions of the population remain uncertain as the sects have priorities set in increasing their own numbers. Today three sects at least emerge as strongest claiming over 150% (Sorenson 2008, p. 143) of the total population of Lebanon. These being the Shias, sunnies and the min orities. In fear of igniting another Sectarian conflict all Lebanese leaders agree to avoid having a new general census done. It was 1932 that the last census was carried out. census, out of fear that it could trigger a new round of sectarian conflict (Sorenson 2008, p. 198-203).