From Sectarian Socialization to Violent Socialization

Abstract

In the last two decades, academic work published on sectarianism in the Middle East has focused on the Sunni-Shi‘a conflict in either states with heterogeneous Muslim populations, such as Lebanon and Iraq, or postwar states, such as Yemen and Syria. In other states, like Egypt and Sudan, academic work on sectarianism mainly revolved around the Muslim-Christian conflict, due to the assumption that the Muslim population is homogenously Sunni. By studying the case of Egypt during Mohamed Morsi’s rule, this study aims to explain the Sunni-Shi‘a divide in a state that contains a homogenous Muslim population of one main sect. In this thesis, the theories of sectarian socialization and violent socialization are used to show that sectarian sentiments increased during this short period. The study explores the correlation between the rise of Islamists in Egypt and the increase in the sectarian divide. The perspective of the socialized Egyptians is also examined to reach an understanding of their belief in a societal threat. The threat is correlated with two main events during this period: Morsi’s efforts to normalize Egyptian-Iranian relations and the rise of Salafi-jihadism in Syria. The thesis concludes that Morsi‘s policies and failure to invalidate the societal threat delegitimized his credibility as a president and fueled sectarian violence in Egypt.