Securing the Sacred: Religion, National Security, and the Western State

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Western nationshave increasingly recognized religion as a consideration in domesticand foreign policy. In this empirical comparison of the securitization ofIslam in Britain, France, and the United States, Robert M. Bosco arguesthat religion is a category of phenomena defined by the discourses andpolitics of both religious and state elites.

Despite significant theoretical distinctions between securitization onthe domestic and the international levels, he finds that the outcomeof addressing religion within the context of security hinges uponpartnerships. Whereas states may harness the power of internationalallies, they cannot often find analogous domestic allies; therefore,states that attempt to securitize religion at home are more vulnerableto counterattack and more likely to abandon their efforts. Securing theSacred makes a significant contribution to the fields of political theory,international relations, Islamic studies, and security/military studies.