Religiosity and Terrorism: Evidence from Ramadan Fasting

Roland Hodler, Paul Raschky and Anthony Strittmatter

No 7313, CESifo Working Paper Series from CESifo

Abstract: This study examines the effect of religiosity on terrorism by focusing on one of the five pillars of Islam: Ramadan fasting. For identification, we exploit two facts: First, daily fasting from dawn to sunset during Ramadan is considered mandatory for most Muslims. Second, the Islamic calendar is not synchronized with the solar cycle. We find a robust negative effect of more intense Ramadan fasting on terrorist events within districts and country-years in predominantly Muslim countries. We argue that this effect partly operates through a decrease in public support for terrorism, which in turn reduces the operational capabilities of terrorist groups.

Keywords: terrorism; economics of religion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D74 H56 Z12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Working Paper: Religiosity and Terrorism: Evidence from Ramadan Fasting (2018)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ces:ceswps:_7313

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