Thou Shall Not Kill: Analyzing Democracy's Moderating Effect on Violent Religious Supremacy in Islam
Date of Award
11-19-2009
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Political Science
First Advisor
Sean Richey PhD - Committee Chair
Second Advisor
Michael Herb PhD - Committee Member
Third Advisor
Scott Graves PhD - Committee Member
Abstract
This research examines the commonly explicated theory that democracy is a moderating force on the public’s support for terrorism. Specifically, I test the hypothesis that living in a democracy will decrease support for terror in Muslim populations. I analyze survey data on support for terrorism from the 2006 Pew Global Attitudes Survey, which has data from 10 nations. I use an ordered logistic regression model to test what determines support for terrorism. The results show that democracy negatively correlates with support for terror. Additionally, I find that opinions toward US policy in the region, including the ‘Global War on Terror’ and US support for Israel, do not correlate with support for terrorism. The results inform our understanding of why certain members of Muslim society that do not engage in acts of violence against civilians in defense of Islam support terror none-the-less.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/1350808
Recommended Citation
Morgenstern, Ariel, "Thou Shall Not Kill: Analyzing Democracy's Moderating Effect on Violent Religious Supremacy in Islam." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2009.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/1350808