Investigating the Proportion of Social Media and the Level of Secularism in West Asia and North Africa

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Political Science, Department of Political Science, Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran

2 Ph.D Candidate, Political Science, Isfahan University, Isfahan, Iran.

Abstract

Secularism is one of the concepts of modernity that emerged from the thought, culture, and developments of recent centuries in the West. In today's modern societies, secularism plays a crucial role in separating religious institutions from political and executive institutions, ensuring the basic rights and freedoms of citizens regardless of their religious orientations. This concept is now spreading to other parts of the world. One region that has shown signs of being influenced by secularism in recent decades is the Arab world. Some researchers attribute this shift to the significant role of the Internet and social media. This research aims to explore the impact of social media on Arab citizens' inclination towards secularism, utilizing data from wave VII (2021-2022) of the Arab Barometer through secondary analysis. The study, based on data from 12 countries in West Asia and North Africa, including Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, and Tunisia, involved a sample size of 26,154 individuals. The findings suggest that social media plays a significant role in increasing Arab citizens' support for secularism. Furthermore, specific tests reveal that Instagram has a more pronounced effect on promoting secular tendencies compared to other social media platforms.
 
 

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References

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History

  • Receive Date: 21 August 2022
  • Revise Date: 20 February 2024
  • Accept Date: 28 December 2022

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