The Banalization of Evil: A Psychological Analysis in the Context of the Gaza Genocide

Orhan Gürsu

Makale detayları

The Banalization of Evil: A Psychological Analysis in the Context of the Gaza Genocide

Yazarlar:

Orhan Gürsu

Yayıncı:

Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University

Ana Başlıklar:

Din Psikolojisi

Dergi:

Burdur İlahiyat Dergisi Issue 8, pp.130-149

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001321164

pISSN:

2980-2407

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 Extensive research has been conducted on the underlying conditions and causes of genocide and mass violence in an attempt to understand the reasons behind the evil behaviour of people against each other. The fact that violent and evil nations like Israel have a history of aggression and have cultures that glorify violence is another important issue that needs to be emphasised. In this study, the psychological mechanisms by which ordinary evil in daily life is transformed into extraordinary evil are questioned in the context of the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza. In this context, an analytical attempt was made based on the  Five-step Identity Model in the Development of Collective Hate created by Reicher, Haslam and Rath 2008. In the first part of the study, the historical and psychological background of the banality of evil is analysed. In the second part, each of the stages of identification, exclusion, threat, virtue and the sanctification of destruction, which are based on the  Five-step Identity Model in the Development of Collective Hate, is studied in the context of the genocide committed by Israel. Founded on Zionist principles, the State of Israel, with the concepts of chosen nation and chosen race emphasised in its sacred texts, has instilled in its supporters the belief that they are superior to other nations because they have been divinely chosen. This has naturally led to the targeting of Palestinian Muslims as the marginalised group living in the region. Since 1948, Israel has systematically occupied lands that do not belong to it, resulting in the massacre or forced displacement of Muslim inhabitants. In committing this collective evil, Israel has sought to justify the war by claiming that it must kill Muslims in Gaza in order to preserve its own existence and survival. While committing this immoral evil and genocide, Israel claimed that it was not acting in the name of evil, but in the name of protecting its own virtues. The Zionist regime and its supporters have shown a remarkable lack of shame in this genocide in which thousands of innocent children, pregnant women and innocent civilians were slaughtered. The psychological mechanisms used by the Zionist regime to trivialise the evil it has committed do not solve the problem, but only deepen it. As a solution proposal, the two-state system should be implemented as soon as possible, Israel should return to the borders before 1967, the decisions taken by international courts should be implemented, and the Zionist regime and the US and Western countries that support it should be tried for the crimes of supporting genocide. Since the Nazi genocide of the Jews occupies an important place in the academic literature on the issue of genocide, the theories and theories put forward are always in this vein. Interestingly, the so-called genocide perpetrated by Turkey against the Armenians, followed by the Bosnian and Rwandan genocides, seem to be the most frequently covered genocides. It is quite remarkable that there is no serious study on the numerous genocides committed by the USA and Western countries. This phenomenon, which can also be read as the instrumentalisation of science to cover up evil, needs to be examined separately. Similarly, although the systematic evil perpetrated by Israel in Palestine since 1948 has reached the level of genocide, studies on this subject are almost non-existent. It is hoped that the study based on the Five-step Identity Model in the Development of Collective Hatred method will contribute to the limited literature in this field.

 Extensive research has been conducted on the underlying conditions and causes of genocide and mass violence in an attempt to understand the reasons behind the evil behaviour of people against each other. The fact that violent and evil nations like Israel have a history of aggression and have cultures that glorify violence is another important issue that needs to be emphasised. In this study, the psychological mechanisms by which ordinary evil in daily life is transformed into extraordinary evil are questioned in the context of the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza. In this context, an analytical attempt was made based on the  Five-step Identity Model in the Development of Collective Hate created by Reicher, Haslam and Rath 2008. In the first part of the study, the historical and psychological background of the banality of evil is analysed. In the second part, each of the stages of identification, exclusion, threat, virtue and the sanctification of destruction, which are based on the  Five-step Identity Model in the Development of Collective Hate, is studied in the context of the genocide committed by Israel. Founded on Zionist principles, the State of Israel, with the concepts of chosen nation and chosen race emphasised in its sacred texts, has instilled in its supporters the belief that they are superior to other nations because they have been divinely chosen. This has naturally led to the targeting of Palestinian Muslims as the marginalised group living in the region. Since 1948, Israel has systematically occupied lands that do not belong to it, resulting in the massacre or forced displacement of Muslim inhabitants. In committing this collective evil, Israel has sought to justify the war by claiming that it must kill Muslims in Gaza in order to preserve its own existence and survival. While committing this immoral evil and genocide, Israel claimed that it was not acting in the name of evil, but in the name of protecting its own virtues. The Zionist regime and its supporters have shown a remarkable lack of shame in this genocide in which thousands of innocent children, pregnant women and innocent civilians were slaughtered. The psychological mechanisms used by the Zionist regime to trivialise the evil it has committed do not solve the problem, but only deepen it. As a solution proposal, the two-state system should be implemented as soon as possible, Israel should return to the borders before 1967, the decisions taken by international courts should be implemented, and the Zionist regime and the US and Western countries that support it should be tried for the crimes of supporting genocide. Since the Nazi genocide of the Jews occupies an important place in the academic literature on the issue of genocide, the theories and theories put forward are always in this vein. Interestingly, the so-called genocide perpetrated by Turkey against the Armenians, followed by the Bosnian and Rwandan genocides, seem to be the most frequently covered genocides. It is quite remarkable that there is no serious study on the numerous genocides committed by the USA and Western countries. This phenomenon, which can also be read as the instrumentalisation of science to cover up evil, needs to be examined separately. Similarly, although the systematic evil perpetrated by Israel in Palestine since 1948 has reached the level of genocide, studies on this subject are almost non-existent. It is hoped that the study based on the Five-step Identity Model in the Development of Collective Hatred method will contribute to the limited literature in this field.

 Extensive research has been conducted on the underlying conditions and causes of genocide and mass violence in an attempt to understand the reasons behind the evil behaviour of people against each other. The fact that violent and evil nations like Israel have a history of aggression and have cultures that glorify violence is another important issue that needs to be emphasised. In this study, the psychological mechanisms by which ordinary evil in daily life is transformed into extraordinary evil are questioned in the context of the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza. In this context, an analytical attempt was made based on the  Five-step Identity Model in the Development of Collective Hate created by Reicher, Haslam and Rath 2008. In the first part of the study, the historical and psychological background of the banality of evil is analysed. In the second part, each of the stages of identification, exclusion, threat, virtue and the sanctification of destruction, which are based on the  Five-step Identity Model in the Development of Collective Hate, is studied in the context of the genocide committed by Israel. Founded on Zionist principles, the State of Israel, with the concepts of chosen nation and chosen race emphasised in its sacred texts, has instilled in its supporters the belief that they are superior to other nations because they have been divinely chosen. This has naturally led to the targeting of Palestinian Muslims as the marginalised group living in the region. Since 1948, Israel has systematically occupied lands that do not belong to it, resulting in the massacre or forced displacement of Muslim inhabitants. In committing this collective evil, Israel has sought to justify the war by claiming that it must kill Muslims in Gaza in order to preserve its own existence and survival. While committing this immoral evil and genocide, Israel claimed that it was not acting in the name of evil, but in the name of protecting its own virtues. The Zionist regime and its supporters have shown a remarkable lack of shame in this genocide in which thousands of innocent children, pregnant women and innocent civilians were slaughtered. The psychological mechanisms used by the Zionist regime to trivialise the evil it has committed do not solve the problem, but only deepen it. As a solution proposal, the two-state system should be implemented as soon as possible, Israel should return to the borders before 1967, the decisions taken by international courts should be implemented, and the Zionist regime and the US and Western countries that support it should be tried for the crimes of supporting genocide. Since the Nazi genocide of the Jews occupies an important place in the academic literature on the issue of genocide, the theories and theories put forward are always in this vein. Interestingly, the so-called genocide perpetrated by Turkey against the Armenians, followed by the Bosnian and Rwandan genocides, seem to be the most frequently covered genocides. It is quite remarkable that there is no serious study on the numerous genocides committed by the USA and Western countries. This phenomenon, which can also be read as the instrumentalisation of science to cover up evil, needs to be examined separately. Similarly, although the systematic evil perpetrated by Israel in Palestine since 1948 has reached the level of genocide, studies on this subject are almost non-existent. It is hoped that the study based on the Five-step Identity Model in the Development of Collective Hatred method will contribute to the limited literature in this field.

 Soykırımın ve kitlesel şiddetin altında yatan temel koşullar ve nedenleri hakkında kapsamlı araştırmalar yapılmış, insanların birbirilerine karşı sergiledikleri kötülüklerin altında yatan sebepler anlaşılmaya çalışılmıştır. İsrail gibi şiddete başvuran, kötülük sergileyen milletlerin saldırganlık geçmişine ve şiddeti yücelten kültürlere sahip olması soykırım ve kitlesel şiddet bağlamında değerlendirilmesi gereken önemli bir husustur. Bu çalışmada gündelik hayattaki sıradan kötülüğün hangi psikolojik mekanizmalarla sıra dışı kötülük haline getirildiği İsrailin Gazzede uyguladığı soykırım bağlamında sorgulanmıştır. Bu meyanda Reicher, Haslam ve Rath 2008 tarafından oluşturulan Kolektif Nefretin Gelişmesinde Beş Aşamalı Kimlik Modeli temel alınarak bir çözümleme denemesi yapılmıştır. Çalışmanın ilk bölümünde kötülüğün sıradanlığının tarihsel ve psikolojik arka planı incelenmiştir. İkinci bölümünde ise Kolektif Nefretin Gelişmesinde Beş Aşamalı Kimlik Modeli temelinde yer alan; özdeşleşme, dışlama, tehdit, erdem ve yok etmenin kutsanması aşamalarının her biri İsrailin gerçekleştirdiği soykırım bağlamında işlenmiştir. Siyonist temeller üzerine kurulan İsrail devleti, kutsal metinlerinde vurgulanan seçilmiş ulus ve seçilmiş ırk kavramlarıyla taraftarlarına ilahi olarak seçildikleri için üstün oldukları inancını aşılamıştır. Bu da tabiatıyla bölgede yaşayan dışlanan grup olarak Filistinli Müslümanların hedef alınmasına yol açmıştır. 1948den bu yana İsrail, kendisine ait olmayan toprakları sistematik bir şekilde işgal ederek Müslüman sakinlerin katledilmesine ya da göçe zorlanmasına neden olmuştur. İsrail bu kolektif kötülüğü işlerken, kendi varlığını ve bekasını korumak için Gazzedeki Müslümanları öldürme zorunluluğunu öne sürerek savaşı meşrulaştırmaya çalışmıştır. İsrail bu ahlaksız kötülüğü ve soykırımı işlerken kötülük adına değil, kendi erdemlerini korumak adına hareket ettiğini ileri sürmüştür. Binlerce masum çocuğun, hamile kadının ve masum sivilin katledildiği bu soykırımda siyonist rejim ve destekçileri kayda değer bir utanç eksikliği sergilemiştir. Siyonist rejimin işlediği kötülüğü sıradanlaştırmak için başvurduğu psikolojik mekanizmalar sorunu çözmediği gibi daha da derinleştirmiştir. Çözüm önerisi olarak iki devletli sistemin bir an önce hayata geçirilmesi, İsrailin 1967den önceki sınırlara geri dönmesi, uluslararası mahkemelerin aldıkları kararların uygulanması, Siyonist rejim ile buna destek olan başta ABD ve Batılı ülkelerin soykırıma destek olma suçlarıyla yargılanmaları gerekmektedir. Soykırıma ilişkin akademik literatürde Nazilerin Yahudilere uyguladığı soykırım önemli bir yer tuttuğu için ortaya atılan teori ve kuramlar hep bu minvalde işlenmektedir. İkinci sırada ilginç bir şekilde Türkiyenin Ermenilere yaptığı sözde soykırım ve sonrasında ise Bosna ve Ruanda soykırımları en fazla işlenmiş görünmektedir. ABD ve Batılı ülkelerin gerçekleştirdiği sayısız soykırımlara ilişkin ciddi bir çalışmanın olmaması dikkat çekicidir. Bilimin kötülüğün örtülmesi için araçsallaştırılması olarak da okunabilecek bu olgunun ayrıca incelenmesi gerekmektedir. Benzer şekilde İsrailin 1948den bu yana Filistinde uyguladığı sistematik kötülük, soykırım boyutuna ulaşmış olmasına rağmen bu konudaki çalışmalar yok denecek kadar azdır. Kolektif Nefretin Gelişmesinde Beş Aşamalı Kimlik Modeli metodu baz alınarak gerçekleştirilen çalışmanın, bu alandaki sınırlı literatüre katkı sağlayacağı umulmaktadır.

Makale detayları

The Banalization of Evil: A Psychological Analysis in the Context of the Gaza Genocide

Yazarlar:

Orhan Gürsu

Yayıncı:

Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University

Ana Başlıklar:

Din Psikolojisi

Dergi:

Burdur İlahiyat Dergisi Issue 8, pp.130-149

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001321164

pISSN:

2980-2407

Psychology of Religion

Evil

Genocide

Israel

Gaza

Five-step Identity Model in the Development of Collective HatredDin Psikolojisi

Kötülük

Soykırım

İsrail

Gazze

Kolektif Nefretin Gelişmesinde Beş Aşamalı Kimlik Modeli.

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Orhan Gürsu

Yayıncı: Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University

Ana Başlıklar: Din Psikolojisi

Dergi: Burdur İlahiyat Dergisi Issue 8, pp.130-149

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 6/2024

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001321164

pISSN: 2980-2407

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Orhan Gürsu

Yayıncı:

Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University

Ana Başlıklar:

Din Psikolojisi

Dergi:

Burdur İlahiyat Dergisi Issue 8, pp.130-149

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

6/2024

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001321164

pISSN:

2980-2407