Exploiting religion for political gain won’t bode well for any faith, says scholar

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PETALING JAYA: Turkish-American scholar Ahmet T Kuru says exploiting religion for political mileage will not bode well for any faith and could be detrimental to a country’s well being in the long run.

Kuru, author of “Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison”, said Islamic parties tend to use religion for political purposes in countries where the voters give credit to religious discourses.

He said this “was not good for Islam” as the public would view the religion as a political instrument, rather than a moral source.

“As a result, people, especially the young, become sarcastic about religion and prefer to avoid religious practices,” he told FMT.

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