Why Is Religion Debated More Harshly in Muslim Societies?
This article examines why religion is debated with exceptional intensity in Muslim societies. It argues that the harshness of these debates stems not from religious dogmatism, but from religion’s continued role as a constitutive framework for social order, identity formation, and moral legitimacy. Unlike Western modernization—where religion largely retreated into the private sphere—modernization in Muslim societies was often rapid, externally imposed, and institutionally disruptive. As a result, religion became both a target of reform and a refuge of meaning. Drawing on classical and contemporary social theory, the study demonstrates that fierce religious debates signal not decline, but the enduring centrality of religion in contexts marked by identity crises and civilizational uncertainty.
