Navigating Loss and Existential Anguish in Social Media: Religious Strife and Grief in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Article Sidebar
Published:
Sep 1, 2024
Keywords:
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Grief, Religious Strife, Philosophy of Religion
Main Article Content
Abstract
Conflict and war give rise to grief and feelings of loss experienced by the victims. This feeling of grief and loss is no exception in the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The prolonged warfare results in anxiety about death and raises concerns about the uncertain fate of humanity. This research elucidates how religious beliefs alleviate the anxiety about death and cope with the grief caused by conflict and war. Questions addressed in this study explore the influence of religious beliefs towards the perceptions of death, the helplessness of life, and existential efforts against the sorrow of loss. The researcher examines consistent social media accounts expressing the impact of the Israel-Palestine conflict, namely the Instagram accounts Eye on Palestine (@eye.on.palestine), Gaza journalist Motaz Azaiza (@motaz_azaiza), and another Gaza journalist Anas Ali Al-Syarif (@anasjamal44). The findings of this research indicate that religious beliefs can alleviate death anxiety, aid in coping with loss, and enhance acceptance of destiny. Through religious tenets, death due to war is interpreted as martyrdom, thus fostering optimism in accepting fate. Furthermore, religious beliefs impact a strong belief in positive compensation in the afterlife, giving rise to a narrative of optimism in navigating life amid the turmoil of war.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Article Details
How to Cite
Wawaysadhya, Wawaysadhya, Badrul Munir Chair, and Tri Utami Oktafiani. “Navigating Loss and Existential Anguish in Social Media: Religious Strife and Grief in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”. Islamica: Jurnal Studi Keislaman 19, no. 1 (September 1, 2024): 31-53. Accessed February 20, 2026. https://islamica.uinsa.ac.id/index.php/islamica/article/view/1156.
Section
Articles
References
Anorboevich, Rakhimov Asomiddin. “Principles of Organizing the Spiritual-Enlightment Activities of Future Teachers.” ACA-DEMIA: An International Multidisciplinary Research Journal 11, no. 9 (2021): 400-407. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5958/2249-7137.2021.01930.3
Aral, Berdal. “A Critical View of the Scholarly Discourse on the Israe¬li-Palestinian Problem.” New Middle Eastern Studies 8, no. 2 (2018). DOI: https://doi.org/10.29311/nmes.v8i2.3055
Augustine, Acheoah Ofeh. “Israel-Palestine Impasse: The Unidenti-fied Panaceas.” Addaiyan Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sci-ences 7, no. 1 (2019): 47-64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36099/ajahss.1.7.5.
Bain, David. Philosophy of Suffering Metaphysics, Value, and Normativity. Oxon: Routledge, n.d.
Blyth, Eric, and Ruth Landau (eds.). Faith and Fertility. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2009.
Boulding, E. “Two Cultures of Religion as Obstacles to Peace.” Zygon 21, no. 1 (1986): 501-18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1467-9744.1986.TB00-763.X
Dezutter, J. “The Role of Religion in Death Attitudes: Distinguishing Between Religious Belief and Style of Processing Religious Con-tents.” Death Studies 33 (2008): 73-92.
Feuerbach, Ludwig. “On the Evaluation of The Essence of Christian-ity.” Historical Materialism 27, no. 1 (2019): 241-52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163-/1569206X-12341620
Gravlee, G. Scott. “Hope in Ancient Greek Philosophy.” In Historical and Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Hope, edited by Steven C. Heu-vel, 3-23. Cham: Springer, 2020.
Hassan, Shiekh Qazafee. “Importance of Religion in Israel and Pales-tine Conflict.” International Journal of Physical and Social Sciences 6 (2016): 84-92.
Hasson-Ohayon, Ilanit. “Religiosity and Hope: A Path for Women Coping with a Diagnosis of Breast Cancer.” Psychosomatics 50, no. 5 (2009): 525-33.
Heidegger, Martin. “Being and Time.” In Martin Heidegger: Key Concepts, edited by John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson. New York: Harper & Row, 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315711546-6
Huda, Moh, and Iffatin Nur. “Islam, Culture, and Social Media: A Study on the Culture of the Social Media Usage in the Covid-19 Pandemic Era.” The Journal of Society and Media 5, no. 2 (2021): 347-61. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26740/jsm.v5n2.p347-361
Imtiaz, Arsal, Danish Khan, Hanjia Lyu, and Jiebo Luo. “Taking Sides: Public Opinion over the Israel-Palestine Conflict in 2021.” In Proceedings of the International Workshop on Social Sensing (SocialSens 2022): Special Edition on Belief Dynamics (2022). DOI: https://doi.org/10.48550-/arXiv.2201.05961
Jong, J, M Bluemke, and J. Halberstadt. “Fear of Death and Super-natural Beliefs: Developing A New Supernatural Belief Scale to Test the Relationship.” European Journal of Personality 27 (2013): 495-506. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/per.1898
Jong, Jonathan. “Death Anxiety and Religion.” Current Opinion in Psy-chology 40, no. August (2021): 40-44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.202-0.08.004
Matz, Lou. “The Utility of Religious Illusion: A Critique of J.S. Mill’s Religion of Humanity.” Utilitas 12, no. 2 (2000): 137-54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0953820800002752.
Nelson, L D, and C Cantrell. “Religiosity and Death Anxiety: A Mul-ti-Dimensional Analysis.” Review of Religious Research 21 (1980): 148.
Perliger, A. “Terrorism and Religion: Palestine.” Oxford Research Ency-clopedia of Politics, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ACREFORE/97801902-28637.013.900
Plesa, Patric. “Reassessing Existential Constructs and Subjectivity: Freedom and Authenticity in Neoliberalism.” Journal of Humanistic Psychology (n.d.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00221678211032065
Qawariq, Rami. “Political and Ideological Tensions in Palestine.” Connection Science 1 (2008): 68-78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29173/connections21
Sayyad, Nermeen. “Importance of Social Media in Business Firm in Palestine and Its Effects.” International Journal of Managerial Studies Research (IJMSR) 6, no. 10 (2018): 46-54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20431/2349-0349.0610004
Stahel, Lea, and Christopher Cohrs. “Socially Shared Representations of the Israel-Palestine Conflict: An Exploration among Conflict Outsiders.” Conflict & Communication Online 14, no. 1 (2015): 1-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-114954
Taimiyyah, Ibnu. Syarah Aqidah Wasithiyah; Penjelasan Prinsip-Prinsip Akidah Ahlussunnah wal Jama’ah dalam Matan Akidah Wasithiyah Karya Syaikh Islam Ibnu Taimiyah, translated by Arif Munadar. Bogor: Media Tarbiyah, 2013.
Wawaysadhya, Tri Utami Oktafiani, Pingki Laeli Diaz Olivia, and Muhammad Baruzzaman. “Moderasi Beragama di Media Sosial: Narasi Inklusivisme dalam Dakwah.” Al Munir 13, no. 02 (2022): 118-32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15548/amj-kpi.v13i02.4601
Aral, Berdal. “A Critical View of the Scholarly Discourse on the Israe¬li-Palestinian Problem.” New Middle Eastern Studies 8, no. 2 (2018). DOI: https://doi.org/10.29311/nmes.v8i2.3055
Augustine, Acheoah Ofeh. “Israel-Palestine Impasse: The Unidenti-fied Panaceas.” Addaiyan Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sci-ences 7, no. 1 (2019): 47-64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36099/ajahss.1.7.5.
Bain, David. Philosophy of Suffering Metaphysics, Value, and Normativity. Oxon: Routledge, n.d.
Blyth, Eric, and Ruth Landau (eds.). Faith and Fertility. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2009.
Boulding, E. “Two Cultures of Religion as Obstacles to Peace.” Zygon 21, no. 1 (1986): 501-18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1467-9744.1986.TB00-763.X
Dezutter, J. “The Role of Religion in Death Attitudes: Distinguishing Between Religious Belief and Style of Processing Religious Con-tents.” Death Studies 33 (2008): 73-92.
Feuerbach, Ludwig. “On the Evaluation of The Essence of Christian-ity.” Historical Materialism 27, no. 1 (2019): 241-52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163-/1569206X-12341620
Gravlee, G. Scott. “Hope in Ancient Greek Philosophy.” In Historical and Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Hope, edited by Steven C. Heu-vel, 3-23. Cham: Springer, 2020.
Hassan, Shiekh Qazafee. “Importance of Religion in Israel and Pales-tine Conflict.” International Journal of Physical and Social Sciences 6 (2016): 84-92.
Hasson-Ohayon, Ilanit. “Religiosity and Hope: A Path for Women Coping with a Diagnosis of Breast Cancer.” Psychosomatics 50, no. 5 (2009): 525-33.
Heidegger, Martin. “Being and Time.” In Martin Heidegger: Key Concepts, edited by John Macquarrie and Edward Robinson. New York: Harper & Row, 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315711546-6
Huda, Moh, and Iffatin Nur. “Islam, Culture, and Social Media: A Study on the Culture of the Social Media Usage in the Covid-19 Pandemic Era.” The Journal of Society and Media 5, no. 2 (2021): 347-61. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26740/jsm.v5n2.p347-361
Imtiaz, Arsal, Danish Khan, Hanjia Lyu, and Jiebo Luo. “Taking Sides: Public Opinion over the Israel-Palestine Conflict in 2021.” In Proceedings of the International Workshop on Social Sensing (SocialSens 2022): Special Edition on Belief Dynamics (2022). DOI: https://doi.org/10.48550-/arXiv.2201.05961
Jong, J, M Bluemke, and J. Halberstadt. “Fear of Death and Super-natural Beliefs: Developing A New Supernatural Belief Scale to Test the Relationship.” European Journal of Personality 27 (2013): 495-506. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/per.1898
Jong, Jonathan. “Death Anxiety and Religion.” Current Opinion in Psy-chology 40, no. August (2021): 40-44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.202-0.08.004
Matz, Lou. “The Utility of Religious Illusion: A Critique of J.S. Mill’s Religion of Humanity.” Utilitas 12, no. 2 (2000): 137-54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0953820800002752.
Nelson, L D, and C Cantrell. “Religiosity and Death Anxiety: A Mul-ti-Dimensional Analysis.” Review of Religious Research 21 (1980): 148.
Perliger, A. “Terrorism and Religion: Palestine.” Oxford Research Ency-clopedia of Politics, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ACREFORE/97801902-28637.013.900
Plesa, Patric. “Reassessing Existential Constructs and Subjectivity: Freedom and Authenticity in Neoliberalism.” Journal of Humanistic Psychology (n.d.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00221678211032065
Qawariq, Rami. “Political and Ideological Tensions in Palestine.” Connection Science 1 (2008): 68-78. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29173/connections21
Sayyad, Nermeen. “Importance of Social Media in Business Firm in Palestine and Its Effects.” International Journal of Managerial Studies Research (IJMSR) 6, no. 10 (2018): 46-54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20431/2349-0349.0610004
Stahel, Lea, and Christopher Cohrs. “Socially Shared Representations of the Israel-Palestine Conflict: An Exploration among Conflict Outsiders.” Conflict & Communication Online 14, no. 1 (2015): 1-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-114954
Taimiyyah, Ibnu. Syarah Aqidah Wasithiyah; Penjelasan Prinsip-Prinsip Akidah Ahlussunnah wal Jama’ah dalam Matan Akidah Wasithiyah Karya Syaikh Islam Ibnu Taimiyah, translated by Arif Munadar. Bogor: Media Tarbiyah, 2013.
Wawaysadhya, Tri Utami Oktafiani, Pingki Laeli Diaz Olivia, and Muhammad Baruzzaman. “Moderasi Beragama di Media Sosial: Narasi Inklusivisme dalam Dakwah.” Al Munir 13, no. 02 (2022): 118-32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15548/amj-kpi.v13i02.4601