Faith, Politics and the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Turkish Response

Sociology of Religion, 2021

Religion was a major pillar in the government's pandemic management and featured centrally in a string of public controversies in the course of the coronavirus crisis in Turkey. This article analyzes the role of Islam in the political and social responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey, with a focus on four dimensions: (1) religion as a tool of governance, (2) the regulation of collective religious practices, (3) religious interpretations of the pandemic, and (4) predictions about the future impact of the coronavirus crisis on religion. Based on this analysis, the study concludes that the salience and political function of religion in the course of pandemics are contingent upon the place of religious mobilization in the political repertoire of the ruling party and the balance of power between the government and the religious field, respectively. The government's extensive instrumentalization of religion in pandemic management, on the other hand, is likely to give rise to a political backlash against organized religion.

Eskişehir Osmangazi üniversitesi ilahiyat fakültesi dergisi, 2021

Bu makale, en az iki hakem tarafından incelenmiş ve intihal içermediği teyit edilmiştir. / This article has been reviewed by least two referees and scanned via a plagiarism software.

HAPSc Policy Briefs Series, 2023

Religion has always been important in human societies. It has also been of great importance during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. There is scientific consensus that its role has been multidimensional. Many religious groups have been endorsing COVID-19 mitigation measures while others have been opposing them. Furthermore, faith-based anti-vaccine stances have been a major obstacle in vaccination campaigns worldwide. In many cases, religious groups and organizations have been providing humanitarian aid, as well as, spiritual and emotional support to individuals and communities during a time of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic. In conclusion, religions have been functioning in this aforesaid variety of manners. Policy recommendations for potential future public health crises are being made in this paper with the intention to make sure that religions will be part of the solution, and to enhance already existing activities and initiatives towards the promotion of public health.

Laws

The government’s measures against COVID-19 have raised, in virtually all contemporary democracies, important issues regarding the proportionality of limitations on fundamental rights, including freedom of religion or belief. This paper analyses some of those issues with particular reference to religious freedom, in the light of the experiences of various European and American countries. It also examines the cooperation (or lack of) between governments and religious communities in the fight against the pandemic, as well the response of religious communities to anti-COVID-19 rules, which has included recently some litigation alleging the unequal treatment of religion in comparison with other activities or institutions. The author argues that more dialogue and reciprocal cooperation between governments and religious communities (and civil society in general) is needed in this type of crisis, as well a strict scrutiny of restrictions imposed on freedom of religion from the perspective o...

Routledge, 2023

This book probes into the dynamics between Orthodox Christianity and the COVID-19 pandemic, unravelling a profound transformation at institutional and grassroot levels. Employing a multidisciplinary approach and drawing upon varied data sources, including surveys, digital ethnography, and process tracing, it presents unprecedented insights into church-state relations, religious practices, and theological traditions during this crisis. The chapters in this book analyse divergent responses across countries, underscore religious-political interplay, and expose tensions between formal and informal power networks. Through case studies, the book highlights the innovative adaptability within the faith, demonstrated by new religious practices and the active role of local priests in responding to the pandemic. It critically examines how the actions of religious and political figures influenced public health outcomes. Offering a fresh perspective, the book suggests that the pandemic may have permanently influenced the relationship between Orthodox Christianity, public health, and society.

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first appeared in China in late 2019 and since then it has become a pandemic. Various countries, in accordance with their cultures, have adopted different approaches to deal with the spread of this disease. The dimensions of this disease and its global spread are such that it will certainly have enormous effects on various aspects of human life for many years. One of these issues is examining the approach of religious countries in dealing with this crisis. The issue of science and religion is one of the main issues in the philosophy of religion. A historical event that human society is struggling with today is the COVID-19 crisis. The issues of religion and science were intertwined during the COVID-19 outbreak, contrary to what some thought. This shows that the opposition between religion and science is not real but aims to attack religion without a valid reason. Given the importance of the subject, this article addresses two aspects of people’s e...

Religions, 2022

The beginning of year 2020 will be remembered as a turning point within several societies. In countries affected for many years by various secularization trends, radical- ization controversies and sexual abuse in connection with religion, religion found a new visibility during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether positively or negatively. [...] This interdisciplinary issue of Religions, entitled “Pandemic, Religion and Non-religion” allows the dissemination of research carried out during the pandemic. Ten articles cover diverse national contexts: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Poland, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The authors are scholars from various disciplines, such as media studies, sociology of religion, social work and education and theology. Several religions or religious groups are discussed: Christian churches including Amish and monasteries, Islam, Hinduism and Judaism. The Australian and Canadian articles also consider non-religious people and spirituality.

Approaching Religion

Editorial of Approaching Religion, Vol. 11 Issue 2.

Religions

As this collection of essays on the manner in which religion and public health policy have impacted one another in the COVID-19 era goes to press, both the United States’ Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO) have recently declared the end to the pandemic (CDC 2023b; UN 2023b; Williams 2023; Siddiqui et al [...]

Περιβαλλοντική Εκπαίδευση για την Αειφορία, 2019

Η παρούσα μελέτη έχει ως στόχο τη διερεύνηση των παραγόντων που επιδρούν στην πρόθεση του εκπαιδευτικού να επιλέγει διδακτικές θεματικές σχετικές με τις Ανανεώσιμες Πηγές Ενέργειας (ΑΠΕ). Τετρακόσιοι πενήντα τέσσερις (454) εκπαιδευτικοί της δευτεροβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης από τα Δωδεκάνησα απάντησαν σε ερωτηματολόγιο που δομήθηκε με βάση τη θεωρία της Προσχεδιασμένης Συμπεριφοράς (Ajzen, 2002). Τα δεδομένα αναλύθηκαν με πολλαπλή γραμμική παλινδρόμηση προκειμένου να εξεταστεί ποιοι παράγοντες επιδρούν στην πρόθεση του εκπαιδευτικού να διδάσκει θεματικές για τις ΑΠΕ. Το μοντέλο βρέθηκε να είναι στατιστικά σημαντικό (p < .001), ενώ το 62,8% της διακύμανσης της πρόθεσης διδασκαλίας εξηγήθηκε από τις μεταβλητές του μοντέλου. Οι στάσεις του εκπαιδευτικού απέναντι στις ΑΠΕ βρέθηκε να είναι ο πιο ισχυρός παράγοντας πρόβλεψης της πρόθεσης διδασκαλίας, ενώ ακολουθούν οι αντιλήψεις του για το κατά πόσο θεωρεί τον εαυτό του ικανό να διδάξει τη συγκεκριμένη θεματική και για το ποιες είναι οι στά...