Why did religion become a security issue?

A recent research article written by Professor Jocelyne Cesari, Professor of Religion and Politics in the Department of Theology and Religion, explores how religion has become increasingly intertwined with debates about national security. Drawing on studies from Europe and beyond, her research shows that governments, media organisations and religious groups all play a role in shaping perceptions of security, often with lasting political and social consequences.

One of the study's central findings is that security concerns involving religion extend far beyond the threat of terrorism. Since the 9/11 attacks, public debate has increasingly linked religion, primarily Islam, with questions of national identity, immigration, secularism and social cohesion. Over time, these concerns have influenced policies on religious dress, places of worship, education, surveillance, embedding security thinking into areas of everyday public life.

The research argues that this shift cannot be explained by immediate security threats alone. Instead, it reflects a broader process known as securitization, in which political leaders and public institutions frame certain issues as existential threats. Once accepted by society, these narratives can justify exceptional policies that would otherwise be difficult to introduce.

A key finding is that religion is not simply the object of security policies. Religious organisations and leaders also participate in shaping security narratives by presenting social change, secularisation or competing belief systems as threats to their own communities. This demonstrates that religion can be both the target of securitization and an active participant in it.

Professor Cesari's review also highlights important gaps in existing research. Much previous work has focused almost exclusively on Islam in Western democracies. However, the evidence shows that similar patterns can be found across many religious traditions and political systems. Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism have all been linked to questions of national identity and security in different historical and cultural settings, suggesting that the relationship between religion and security is a global phenomenon rather than one confined to a single faith.

Rather than viewing securitization as a response to physical threats alone, Professor Cesari argues that societies are often motivated by deeper concerns about identity, belonging and cultural continuity. During periods of rapid social and political change, religion can become a symbol through which wider anxieties about national identity are expressed.

The research also shows that these processes develop over time. Policies introduced in response to specific events, such as terrorist attacks, can become permanent features of governance. What begins as an emergency measure may gradually evolve into routine practices, including expanded surveillance, restrictions on religious expression and greater regulation of religious institutions.

Taken together, these findings suggest that the relationship between religion and security is more complex than is often assumed. Security policies not only shape how religious communities are viewed by wider society but can also influence how those communities understand themselves and respond to external pressures. In turn, these reactions may reinforce existing fears and deepen social divisions.

By bringing together research from different regions and religious traditions, Professor Cesari's work offers a broader understanding of how religion has become embedded in modern security politics. It suggests that future research should move beyond a narrow focus on Islam and examine how different faiths, political systems and historical contexts shape the ways religion is framed as both a source of insecurity and a means of defining collective identity.