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Fatwās on Mohamed Bouazizi’s Self-Immolation: Religious Authority, Media, and Secularization

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Sharia Dynamics

Part of the book series: Contemporary Anthropology of Religion ((CAR))

Abstract

Burhani offers a much-needed explanation about religiosity and secularization in the Arab world during the Arab Spring. Focusing on the self-immolation of Bouazizi, this chapter analyzes three critical issues: on whether Bouazizi’s act can be considered as martyrdom or is it a suicide; on whether contemporary Arab society is becoming more secular and the Arab Spring is a secular revolution; and on the significance of media in stabilizing (or undermining) the role of ‘ulama’. Using the concept of homo sacer and biopolitics, Burhani elaborates the sympathetic view of Yusuf Qaradawi on Bouazizi and also Bouazizi’s choice to burn his body alive as a way to make political communication and as a rejection to submit his life to the corrupt regime.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Jakarta, Indonesia

    Ahmad Najib Burhani

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  1. Ahmad Najib Burhani
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, USA

    Timothy P. Daniels

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Burhani, A.N. (2017). Fatwās on Mohamed Bouazizi’s Self-Immolation: Religious Authority, Media, and Secularization. In: Daniels, T. (eds) Sharia Dynamics. Contemporary Anthropology of Religion. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45692-8_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45692-8_3

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-45691-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-45692-8

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