Focusing on the link between Religious Fundamentalism and Terrorism
Religious Studies at the U of A
By Zachary Devereaux, Research Profile Project

Maryam Razavy is an MA student in Religious Studies at the University of Alberta. Maryam previously completed her BA in Psychology at UBC. She has won the GSA Myer Horowitz award from the U of A for her research, which focuses on the link between religion and violence.
“I study religious fundamentalism; religious extremism," explains Maryam. "I’ve looked at it across various religions but specifically I am interested in religiously based acts of terrorism and violence. Right now I’m looking at Sikh fundamentalism and how it is operating in Canada; how Canada might serve as a launch pad for extremist activities.”

One might expect such a topic in Political Science, but Maryam explains, “The focus is really on the religious motivation behind violence. A lot of the acts use religious propaganda as fuel for the violence that goes on. And we want to get into the nitty-gritty details of what is fueling these acts of violence. It does have a lot of crossover with sociology and political science … I was really surprised to find there were no experts across Canada in this field. You would think there would be, but there aren’t. Political Science covers terrorism, and you would think that religion would be there as well but it isn’t.” Violence in the Sikh community in Canada has been a serious and relatively long-term problem in Vancouver, and Maryam acknowledges that events in Vancouver influenced her decision to look into this phenomenon, but her research is aimed at a broader stage: “It’s not just what’s happening in Vancouver, I am actually looking at fundraising techniques where funds are sent back to the home country or used here to carry out violent acts. There are a few fringe groups with extremist views and I take a look at them in relation to the larger community. The point is that they exist nonetheless.”

Working in a small research area, Maryam relies on travel and interviews within the Sikh community as the basis for her work. These resources are complemented by material produced by CSIS, the RCMP, and DFAIT. Maryam acknowledges that “it has been very timely to look into this issue. The current 'War on Terror' provides you with a lot of material. I rely heavily on events and situations that arose out of 9-11, for example. People have been paying more attention to this area because of the ‘run-in’ with current events. Not to say that religious terrorism is a new phenomenon, because it's not, but people are more familiar with it because of recent events … In the end it boils down to people feeling threatened and having the sensation that their religion is falling apart and disintegrating, as cultures clash and collide. In the Sikh perspective specifically there has always been segregation between Sikhs that are more moderate and those that are more extreme. The tables and chairs argument is one that happens all the time: people bring in chairs (to a gurdwara) and then some people throw them out. Some are strict in wanting to retain customs while others are more open to various influences and the integration of various cultures while retaining their Sikh identity. The extremists would argue such accommodations mean losing their Sikh identity but the moderates would be quite against that idea.”

Maryam also feels that the theory she studies can be applied beyond the Sikh community. “I definitely think it can be applied further, because the theory remains the same throughout and the examples are very similar between religions. I’ve done a lot of work on Islamic and Jewish fundamentalism, but my thesis is on Sikhs.”

When asked whether or not there is a risk factor to her studying this topic, Maryam explained: “It’s a huge factor. And I take all necessary precautions that I can think of. Risk definitely does come into working in this area and I would be lying if I said I felt safe every time I walk into an interview. In part because this is something so near to people’s hearts you try to be objective, and just present facts, but some people are never going to accept outsiders trying to understand or research these issues.” Addressing root causes of fragmentation and terrorist violence is a major priority in our lives today. For the success that is needed in this endeavor, there is little doubt that research like Maryam Razavy’s will play an important leading role.

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