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One of the more alarming aspects of the war in West Asia is as to how it is often being framed in religious terms. Of course, this hides the geopolitical drivers of the conflict including competition for power, resources and regional hegemony.

The US and Israel are formally secular, Iran is a theocracy. Yet religious symbolism and discourse is common among their leaders. Recently we were treated to a picture of US President Donald Trump praying with a group of visiting pastors in his Oval Office. They prayed for divine guidance and wisdom for the President in these “challenging times” as well as the protection of the US armed forces.

Leaders have invoked religious themes and urged their followers to seek inspiration in historical and cultural tropes. Many on both sides of the conflict believe that God is on their side and supports their acts of violence against their adversary. But it also has a historical reference to the Crusades that were fought between the Christians and Muslims for the control of Palestine. In West Asia, the memory of the Crusades is still quite potent and resounds as a critique of western interventionism. Osama bin Laden used the imagery in his attack on the west.

Religious symbolism and imagery is par for the course for the Israelis. Netanyahu has made references to the Amaleks, a biblical enemy of the past that he conflates with the residents of Gaza. The Jewish holy book Torah calls for Israelites to wage eternal war against them and wipe them out totally. Earlier this month, Netanyahu, speaking at the site of an Iranian missile strike, linked this to Amalekites with its genocidal implications to the war with Iran.

Israel........

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