Islamization of Social Identity in East Jerusalem; a Response to Identity Threat
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Master’s Thesis 2018 30 ECTS LANDSAM Stig Hansen Islamization of Social Identity in East Jerusalem; A response to identity threat Shahd Al Ja’bari International Development Studies Landscape and Society i Islamization of Social Identity in East Jerusalem; A response to identity threat Shahd Al Ja’bari International Development Studies ii The Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Noragric, is the international gateway for the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). Established in 1986, Noragric’s contribution to international development lies in the interface between research, education (Bachelor, Master and PhD programmes) and assignments. The Noragric Master’s theses are the final theses submitted by students in order to fulfil the requirements under the Noragric Master’s programmes ‘International Environmental Studies’, ‘International Development Studies’ and ‘International Relations’. The findings in this thesis do not necessarily reflect the views of Noragric. Extracts from this publication may only be reproduced after prior consultation with the author and on condition that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation contact Noragric. © Shahd Al Ja’bari, August 2018 [email protected] Noragric Department of International Environment and Development Studies The Faculty of Landscape and Society P.O. Box 5003 N-1432 Ås Norway Tel.: +47 67 23 00 00 Internet: https://www.nmbu.no/fakultet/landsam/institutt/noragric iii Declaration I, Shahd Al Ja’bari, declare that this thesis is a result of my research investigations and findings. Sources of information other than my own have been acknowledged and a reference list has been appended. This work has not been previously submitted to any other university for award of any type of academic degree. Signature...................................... Date.............................................. iv v Abstract The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has always been one of the most debated political cases. However, usually the focus is on the physical, political and economic views of the conflict. This research focuses on the psychosocial analysis of the Palestinian social identity in Jerusalem. It explores the reasons behind the Islamization of social identity among Palestinian Jerusalemites. It does so through the eyes of Palestinian females who live in East Jerusalem. The study seeks to understand how the Palestinian participants from East Jerusalem define their social identity. The definition was categorized into three groups: Islamic, Arabic and Palestinian. In addition to that, the study investigated the perceived threats posed on the participant’s social identity. These threats are categorized into: threats from the Israeli occupation, the Palestinian society itself, and the corruption of the Palestinian authority. Moreover, this research compares the role of religion in the lives of Palestinian Jerusalemites now and twenty years ago. Therefore, it shows how and when the Islamization of social identity started. The results of this research are based on primary and secondary resources. I have conducted 25 individual interviews and a process of participant observation. The argument of this paper is that the Islamization of social identity in Jerusalem is a process with two main reasons behind it. First, the fall of Palestinian nationalism after the Oslo Accords and the Palestinian civil war. This led into identity crisis and created an identity vacuity which needed to be filled. Second the direct threat posed on the Palestinian Islamic identity during the Second Intifada and until now. This made the Islamic identity the salient one. The Islamic identity needed to be defended, therefore, it was prioritized and used to demonstrate the urgency of staying in Jerusalem. Key words: Islamization, Social identity, Social identity threat. vi vii Table of Contents Declaration ............................................................................................................................................. iv Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. vi Acknowledgment .................................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1 ................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.0 Background and Rationale of the Study ................................................................................. 1 1.2 Research Question and Objectives ......................................................................................... 2 Chapter 2 ................................................................................................................................................. 4 2.1 Research Methodology ........................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Sampling Design ...................................................................................................................... 5 2.3 Characteristics of Participants ...................................................................................................... 6 2.3.1 Gender ................................................................................................................................... 6 2.3.2 Age ......................................................................................................................................... 7 2.3.3 Education status ..................................................................................................................... 7 2.3.4 Economic status ..................................................................................................................... 8 2.4 Data Collection Methods ........................................................................................................ 8 2.5 Study Area ................................................................................................................................... 10 2.6 Data Analysis Methods ......................................................................................................... 11 2.7 Ethical considerations ........................................................................................................... 11 2.8 Limitations of the Study ........................................................................................................ 12 Chapter 3 ............................................................................................................................................... 14 3.1 Identity ........................................................................................................................................ 14 3.1.1Social Identity ........................................................................................................................ 14 3.1.2Social Identity Threat ............................................................................................................ 16 3.1.3 Islamization of Social Identity as a Form of resistance ........................................................ 19 3.2.1 Social identity under conflict ............................................................................................... 20 3.2.2 The Importance of a Psychosocial perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict .............. 22 3.2.3 Use of Language in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict .............................................................. 23 3.2.4 Israel’s Ethnonational Regime ............................................................................................. 25 Chapter four .......................................................................................................................................... 29 4.1 The Establishment of an Israeli State .......................................................................................... 29 4.2 The Occupation of Jerusalem ...................................................................................................... 30 4.3 The First Intifada ......................................................................................................................... 31 4.4 The Second Intifada .................................................................................................................... 32 4.5 The Palestinian Civil War ............................................................................................................. 33 4.6 The Aqsa Mosque July Events ..................................................................................................... 33 viii 4.7 History and the Development of the Palestinian Identity .......................................................... 35 Chapter 5 ............................................................................................................................................... 39 5.1 Participants’ perception of social identity .................................................................................. 39 5.1.1 Islamic identity ..................................................................................................................... 39 5.1.2 Arabic identity ...................................................................................................................... 44 5.1.3 Palestinian identity