I fondamentalismi religiosi, lo spazio e il territorio: il caso emblematico dello "Stato Islamico" 10.4458/5189-04

Abstract

Religious Fundamentalisms, Space and Territory: an Emblematic Case. – The article, starting from a brief review of religious fundamentalisms, focuses on the Salafist form and, in particular, on the peculiar significance given to territory by the so called "Islamic State" of Iraq and Syria. Major emphasis is given to the difference between the concept of "State", as a specific territory clearly defined by boundaries, and the Islamic concepts of umma and dawla (the Arabic word approximately translating "State"), which refer to non-territorial entities in continuous expansion and change. It is indeed the existence of boundaries, and specifically those established by the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, which appear as one of the main "enemies" of Al-Baghdadi's New Caliphate. The article also review the problem of the so called "foreign fighters" who, coming from a diasporic and, therefore, non-territorial dimension, seem particularly appropriate to the objectives of a political entity whose main characteristics are territorial indefiniteness and opposition to boundaries.