Violence in the Name of Religion in the Novel Zuhūrun Taʾkuluhā An-Nār by Amīr Tāj As-Sirr: A Sociological Analysis of Literature

Abstract

This study aims to analyse the forms of violence in the name of religion in the novel Zuhūrun Ta`kuluhā an-Nār by Amīr Tāj as-Sirr. The violence presented in the novel is analysed using the sociology of literature theory with Robert F. Litke's concept of violence as its analytical framework. This research was conducted through three stages: data collection, data analysis, and the presentation of analysis results. Data collection was carried out using the simak catat method, while data analysis employed the descriptive analytical method within the framework of literary sociology. The homologous technique is used to align the literary facts found in the novel with corresponding social facts from the historical context of Sudan in the 1950s. The results of the study show that four forms of violence in the name of religion are present in the novel, namely personal-physical violence, personal-psychological violence, institutional-physical violence, and institutional-psychological violence. The perpetrators of violence are Al-Muttaqī, an extremist group that incited riots in the fictional city of As-Sūr. Their violence was directed against the non-Muslim minority population from various social circles, including merchant families, traders, artists, and Christian missionaries. The analysis further reveals that the literary work reflects the social conditions of Sudan in the 1950s, particularly the dynamics of the first Sudanese Civil War.