By: Paulina Song
April 28, 2022
This project seeks to examine the inconsistency between the supposedly Christian rhetoric and Islamophobic actions of Christian nationalist groups on two levels. First, the Christian values these religiously-motivated, right-wing groups hold are in many ways at odds with Christian doctrine. Second, these groups have responded inconsistently to both the condition of Christians within their own countries and the plight of Christians around the world. This paper argues that a cause for such conflicting behavior from Christian purist groups can be attributed to the perceived political expediency of operating less from a pro-Christian agenda, and more from an anti-Muslim agenda.
Hilary Aked, Melissa Jones, and David Miller. “Islamophobia in Europe: How Governments Are Enabling the Far-right ‘counter-jihad’ Movement.” Public Interest Investigations (2019).
Ariel Koch. “The New Crusaders: Contemporary Extreme Right Symbolism and Rhetoric.” Perspectives on Terrorism 11, no. 5 (2017): 13–24.
Eric Leon McDaniel, Irfan Nooruddin, and Allyson Faith Shortle. “Divine Boundaries: How Religion Shapes Citizens’ Attitudes Toward Immigrants.” American Politics Research 39, no. 1 (January 2011): 205–33.
Gregory A. Smith. “Most White Evangelicals Approve of Trump Refugee Policy, Express Concerns about Extremism.” Pew Research Center, February 27, 2017.
Andrew L. Whitehead and Samuel L. Perry. Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States. (Oxford University Press, 2020).
Paulina Song (SFS’22) is majoring in international politics with minors in Japanese and religion, ethics, and world affairs. She has worked with Georgetown’s Office of Campus Ministry and the Institute on Religion and Democracy. Her interests lie at the intersection of human rights, religion, and humanitarianism.
