What Is the Effect of Religious Discourse on Saudis After the Gulf War and What Is the Role of Saudi Government? Research Proposal Example

Introduction

Religion is an integral component of the society. This is evident in different cultures whereby the perceptions and ideologies are shaped by the religious inclination of the community. This actuality has led to the conceiving of the phenomenon of religious discourse. Religious discourse can be defined to as the rational and civil discussions concerning issues related to religion. When exploring the phenomenon deeper, religious discourse is the expression of the religious views on different aspects of daily life (Dijk, 2011 p138). These expressions may result in extremism, which leads to a negative impact in the end. This is attested in numerous scenarios across the globe. For instance, the heaven’s gate scenario is an example of the religious dialogue whereby the sentiments of marshal Applewhite led to the creation of a religious cult, which culminated in a mass suicide in order to fulfill the sentiments promoted by Applewhite about the religion. Such incidences are also evident in renowned situations like the case of the Jonestown people’s temple among others. It is apparent that religious discourse characterizes the society. Therefore, it is essential to determine its influence and causes in the society in order to comprehend the significance of the phenomenon. The research will explore the influence of religious discourse on the Saudi population and the government’s role in this effect.

Background

The Middle East is synonymous with the Islam religion. This has influenced the culture and political dispensation of the region in the global scenario. The interactions with the western world have been instrumental in shaping the religious discourse of the region. This is evident in the effect of the gulf war in the religious discourse of the Saudi region. Western forces invading Iraq, which is a predominant Islamic nation, characterized the gulf war (Crane, 2009

p396). This event led to the radicalization of Islam in the region, in the quest to protect itself from what was perceived as western aggression. This influenced the religious discourse of the Saudis whereby radical mosques became more pronounce in the region than prior to the war (Bronson, 2006 p49). This has changed the religious discourse to demand the Sharia law’s implementation and that Islam is the answer for all social and political problems Lacroix and Holoch, 2011 p448). This was deemed necessary since the west was considered an enemy of Islam (Crane, 2009 p396). Despite the actuality that Islamists do not have political positions and power in the region, they have won the population’s imagination by this ideology hence they are influential in the political and social ideologies of the region (Lacroix and Holoch, 2011 p448). The radical approach developed by the resultant religious discourse led to a backlash from the government to curb the negative consequences of the religious discourse. With this consideration, this research will analyze the effect of the religious discourse, which affected the Saudi region after the gulf war, the consequences of this discourse and the role of the government concerning these consequences (A?L-Ras?I?D, 2003 p 83). The research will be guided by predefined objectives and approaches in order to ensure that the research questions are comprehensively explored. Theoretical concepts of political science will also be employed during the research.

Project Aims and Objectives

As aforementioned, the research will be exploring the phenomenon of religious discourse. This will be through the scope of the evolution of the society in the Saudi region after the Gulf war. It is apparent that this situation influenced the religious perspective concerning the western world. This perspective elicited a reaction from the government. With these considerations, the research will be considered several aims and objectives. The aim of the research is to determine the effect of religious discourse on the Saudis after the gulf war and the role of the government in the same.

The research objectives involve the following:

To assess the political factors that led to the gulf war.

To determine the religious dialogue after the gulf war in Saudi Arabia.

To determine the factors that influenced the religious dialogue in the region.

To analyze the role of the Saudi government concerning the influence of religious dialogue in the region.

Overview of Theoretical Concept

When exploring the concepts of religious discourse in the Saudi region, theoretical approaches will be explored. The theoretical concept, which will be employed in the research, involves the cognitive theory of metaphor. The theory will be used to analyze how religious texts can be used as metaphors in order to justify ideologies of the influential group. In this scenario, the theory will be employed to determine How the Quran and the Sharia laws were interpreted metaphorically to influence the perceptions of the Saudi population concerning the western world. The research will carry out a conceptual analysis on the metaphors taken from the Quran t influence the perceptions of western influence in the Islamic world. The employment of this theory will be instrumental in determining how Islamists engage the population on a religious perspective to influence their discourse. This will enable the determination of the conceptual characteristics of the Saudi population considering the aforementioned problems.

Research Methodology

In order to collect comprehensive and relevant data concerning the research topic, various approaches to the research methodology will be employed to facilitate this endeavor. Relevant literature comprising of books and online sources will be employed to explore the research question. With these resources, I hope to determine the political factors that led to the gulf war. In addition, I will determine the religious dialogue after the gulf war in Saudi Arabia and the factors that influenced the religious dialogue in the region. Finally, I will analyze the role of the Saudi government concerning the influence of religious dialogue in the region. The project will also involve the utilization of qualitative and quantitative data collection. The data collection approach will be rooted to a qualitative epistemological design, which narrows the research to a specified cultural and social context. The social constructs of the contexts will also be considered to ensure the accuracy of the research. Data collection will involve interviews and surveys. This will require a purposeful sample to be identified. This will provide the qualitative and quantitative data, which is essential to answer the research problem.

Outline Structure

The research will involve a predetermined outline, which will enable the systematic approach and exploration of the research question. The research will employ a systematic approach in the analysis of the research problem with the aim of developing a conclusion on the research topic.  The outline for the proposed research is expected to take the following form.

1. Introduction
2. Background on the gulf war and the evolution of the religious discourse
3. Aims and objectives of the research
4. Literature review
5. Data analysis

Qualitative data

Quantitative data

6. Data interpretation
7. Conclusion

List of References

A?L-Ras?I?D, M. (2003). A history of Saudi Arabia. Cambridge [u.a.], Cambridge Univ. Press.

Bronson, R. (2006). Thicker than oil: America’s uneasy partnership with Saudi Arabia. New York, N.Y. [u.a.], Oxford Univ. Press.

Crane, K. (2009). Imported oil and U.S. national security. Santa Monica, CA, RAND Infrastructure, Safety and Environment.

Dijk, T. A. V. (2011). Discourse studies: a multidisciplinary introduction. Thousand Oaks, Calif, Sage Publications.

Lacroix, S., & Holoch, G. (2011). Awakening Islam: the politics of religious dissent in contemporary Saudi Arabia. Cambridge, Mass,