Religion, politics and theatre

SUNDAY TIMES, Malta, October 28th, 2007
By Peter Serracino Inglott

Few people in the years when I was young would have guessed that Religion would become such an important factor in international politics. Perhaps the turning point occurred when the Imam Khomeini, although in exile, became the leader of a popular movement that succeeded in overthrowing the secularist Shah of Iran in spite of his American backing. There is also an unavoidable religious background to the very existence of Israel, although again actually religious Israelis are a minority. The role of Pope John Paul II, at least in the initial phases which led to the collapse of the soviet regime, also testified to the fact that Christianity had not completely lost its political potentialities in spite of the decline of Christian Democrat parties. All this has naturally led to a renewed interest in the Biblical figures who occupy dominant positions in all of the three great monotheistic religions.

Events in Burma show that other religions such as Buddhism also have political impact; likewise the Hindu renaissance of India. Nevertheless it could be argued that these far-eastern and mystically-based religions do not have the direct relevance to politics that the prophetic religions of the Mediterranean have. The latter religions present themselves explicitly as an interpretation of history, while the former present themselves rather as ways of escape from the turmoil of events that gets reported in the news.