A religious war?
More than a year has passed since the horrific massacre of Israelis on October 7 2023 and the war between Israel and Hamas is still going on. The decades-old agonizing conflict in the Middle East has reached a new low. Calls for peace and reconciliation seem as urgent as they are far-fetched. The old narrative of a bitter religious war, the eternal struggle between Jews and Muslims for the Holy Land, has also regained momentum. Even if I am convinced that this conflict is essentially about self-determination, freedom, state sovereignty and security, there are disturbing religious undertones that cannot be ignored. I agree with George Lapshynov when he writes:
„Yet, religion is not the primary cause of the conflict – the casus belli. Rather, it has become increasingly over the last decades a tool for justifying the means employed towards its interminable continuation. Religion has been woven into the conflict on many levels.“
Apocalypse Now
What has been particularly noticeable in political statements since October 7 is the increase in apocalyptic rhetoric. The decisive battle has come, the end times have begun, redemption is near. Evidence of this apocalyptic longing can be found across all religions:
1) Al-Aqsa Flood: Hamas has named its operation the ‘Al-Aqsa Flood,’ in reference to a perceived Muslim anger towards the decision of the right-wing Israeli government to allow Jewish extremists to access Islam’s third holiest site. They believe that these extremists aim to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque and construct a Jewish temple on the grounds known as the Haram al-Sharif or Noble Sanctuary by Muslims, and as the Temple Mount by Jews.
Al-Aqsa is of central importance in Islamic eschatology. It is the place where the Day of Judgment and the resurrection of the dead is expected. The controversy surrounding Al-Aqsa has stirred apocalyptic concerns among Muslims, including both Sunni factions like Hamas and the majority of Palestinians, as well as Shi’ite groups like Iranians, who also hold beliefs about a final battle at the end of the world.
2) A battle of Gog and Magog: The Jewish side has also used old religious imagery to justify the fight against Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu caused a particular stir shortly after October 7 when he compared Hamas to the Amalekites, Israel’s biblical arch-enemy, who must be eliminated.
What is less well known is that the battle of Gog and Magog is often used as a reference point for the current conflict. Daniel G. Saunders, for example, has drawn attention to this. In the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible, Gog and Magog are described as nations that will invade the land of Israel in the end times. The battle of Gog and Magog is a term used in some religious and mythological traditions to describe a final apocalyptic battle between forces of good and evil. In the New Testament, these mythical figures are taken up again in the Revelation of John.
3) The Great Tribulation: This makes it clear that the Israel-Hamas war also strikes an apocalyptic chord in some Christian circles. In evangelical theology in particular, the conflict in the Middle East is interpreted as the beginning to a great end-time drama. The return of the Jews to the Promised Land is the prelude to a seven-year Armageddon, after which Jesus Christ will return. The great tribulation spoken of in Revelation 7:14 is accepted as a necessary evil on the path to redemption. What we are currently witnessing in the Gaza Strip is thus cynically interpreted as a prophetic sign.
Dangerous memory
It should have become clear how dangerous religious undertones can be in the Israel-Hamas war. They are being used to legitimize violence and continue the conflict. Muslims, Jews and Christians should be vigilant when their religion is politically exploited in this way.
We could learn from the Catholic theologian Johann B. Metz what the actual dangerous memory of the Jewish-Christian tradition is: He uses the term to emphasize the need to remember past events of injustice and suffering in order to learn from them and to fight against further injustices. Dangerous memory, as Katharina Merian recently summarized Metz’s approach, requires engaging with the dark chapters of history and can lead individuals and societies to actively strive for justice and reconciliation. A dangerous memory understood in this way would therefore be the exact opposite of the apocalyptic longing that can currently be observed.