UEL researcher quoted by Huffington Post

UEL’s Professor Peter Morey has been quoted by the Huffington Post in a compelling blog post about the role of religion in war.

Peter Morey, who is Professor of English and Postcolonial Studies at UEL, was approached for expert comment for the article ‘Does Religion Really Cause War – And Do Atheists Have Something To Answer For?’

In the article Professor Morey comments: “Religion is seen in other parts of the world as a way of life, whereas here, in the secular West, it’s been set aside from civil society. When we look at conflict in other parts of the world we think religion is the dynamo behind war, when in fact it’s not so easy to isolate the religious component.”

Speaking about the influence of religion in the rise of the Islamic State conflict Professor Morey is quoted as saying:  “Islamic State’s big romantic call is to restore the caliphate, which was an empire: a political entity as much as a religious one,” and  “The use of ‘Islamic’ in the name is a very evocative term and recalls a moment of Muslim world power, but the dynasties that operated around the caliphate, such as the Ottomans, were first and foremost political, and often nationalist entities.”

Professor Morey is an RCUK Global Uncertainties Leadership Fellow and is currently leading the Muslims, Trust and Cultural Dialogue project, looking at how trust between Muslims and non-Muslims can be built in three different spheres: politics and citizenship; culture and the arts; and business and finance.