ABSTRACT
The attacks of September 11, 2001 have done more to focus attention on the conjunction of religion and violence than any other event in recent memory. They have served as a wake up call to the rise and increasing political signifi cance of religiously infl ected violence around the world. Questions abound: Is there an intrinsic connection between religion and violence, making religion part of the problem not the solution? Or, perhaps, is religious violence a misnomer, a clear indication that authentic religion has been hijacked by criminals, evildoers, and thugs? Do we get sidetracked by focusing on religious violence, failing to recognize the real causes of the turn to violence and terrorist acts? What difference, if any, does it make when violence is aligned with religious discourses and identities? What accounts for the rise of religiously infl ected violence in recent decades?
