Page "Religious nationalism" Paragraph 2

Ideologically-driven religious nationalism may not necessarily be targeted against other religions per se, but can be articulated in response to modernity and in particular, secular nationalism.

Indeed, religious nationalism may articulate itself as the binary of secular nationalism.

Nation-states whose boundaries and borders are relatively recent, or who have experienced colonialism may be more prone to religious nationalism, which may stand as a more authentic or “ traditional ” rendering of identity.

Thus, there was a global rise of religious nationalism in the wake of the end of the cold war, but also as postcolonial politics ( facing considerable developmental challenges, but also dealing with the reality of colonially-defined – and therefore somewhat artificial borders ) become challenged.

In such a scenario, appealing to a national sense of Islamic identity, as in the case of Pakistan and Indonesia, may serve to override regional tensions.