020 prayer and worship

methods of nonviolent protest and persuasion symbolic public acts
020 prayer and worship banner

"Prayer and worship may be so conducted that the participants by their religious act express moral condemnation and even political protest. This may be made clear by the content of the prayer or worship service, the immediate situation (as when an order to disperse has been given or demonstrators are arrested), the place in which the prayer is made, or the day on which it is made."...

((Sharp, Gene. The Politics of Nonviolent Action (p. 161). Albert Einstein Institution. Kindle Edition.))

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045 demonstrative funerals

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147 deliberate inefficiency and selective noncooperation by enforcement agents

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trending_up 9.1/10 as a pair
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085 merchants general strike

merchants general strike

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056 selective social boycott

selective social boycott

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023 destruction of own property

destruction of own property

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168 nonviolent raids

nonviolent raids

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High scoring campaigns using this method

Historical cases from the Nonviolent Action Database that used this method

Egyptians bring down dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak, 2011

10.0/10

Beginning in 1981, Hosni Mubarak ruled Egypt for over twenty-nine years. Though he ran for presidential reelection several times, elections were marked by widespread fraud, and opposing politicians were legally prohibited from running against Mubarak...

Chinese elites and commoners use city gods and direct action to hasten flood relief, Qing China, 1742

10.0/10

During the 1740s, early modern China was undergoing a profound transformation. After decades trying to recover from the turbulent transition from the Ming dynasty to the Qing dynasty, a new era of stability was descending upon the empire, allowing fo...

Connecticut Residents Give Up National Borders for Lent 2012-2013

10.0/10

In 2008, the Federal Government of the United States launched a program called “Secure Communities” that would allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement to review records of suspects in the custody of local and state police. In cases where officials ...

Earth Quaker Action Team Campaigns Against PNC Bank for Financing Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining 2010-2015

10.0/10

The Earth Quaker Action Team’s first campaign, BLAM! (Bank Like Appalachia Matters!) began on 18 February 2010. Ingrid Lakey, Board Member of EQAT, sent a letter to PNC Vice President Jean Caulfield, which described the health and environmental dange...

East Germans protest for democracy (The Peaceful Revolution), 1988-90

10.0/10

In 1988, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) had been under Soviet rule for more than 40 years, and the Berlin Wall had stood erect for nearly 30. Strict Socialist rule meant extreme limits on speech and action. Travel outside the country was prohib...

Ukrainians overthrow dictatorship (Orange Revolution), 2004

10.0/10

The October 31, 2004, presidential elections in Ukraine pitted popular opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko against Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. The incumbent president, Leonid Kuchma, had personally chosen Yanukovych as his successor, but the...

Milanese Catholics and Bishop Ambrose defend their Basilica, 385-386 CE

10.0/10

Early Christendom was rife with sectarian conflicts between competing theologians and their interpretations of the life of Jesus. One of these conflicts was between mainstream (Nicene) Catholicism, which emphasized the Holy Trinity, and Arianism, whi...

Filipinos campaign to overthrow dictator (People Power), 1983-1986

10.0/10

Ferdinand Marcos was elected president of the Philippines in 1965. Marcos was reelected in 1969 and when barred to run for a third term, he declared martial law and gave himself near absolute power. Marcos assumed full control of the military, dissol...

Freedom Riders end racial segregation in Southern U.S. public transit, 1961

10.0/10

In 1947, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) conducted a “Journey of Reconciliation” to direct attention toward racial segregation in public transportation in the Southern U.S.A. Although this initial freedom ride campaign was not regarded as a gr...

Tunisians overthrow dictator and demand political and economic reform (Jasmine Revolution), 2010-2011

10.0/10

Over the past several decades, high unemployment, high food prices, and widespread poverty have characterized much of Tunisia. Government corruption and a paucity of political freedoms have also painted its landscape, making it exceedingly difficult ...

Low scoring campaigns using this method

Historical cases from the Nonviolent Action Database that used this method

Montgomery, Alabama students sit-in for U.S. Civil Rights, 1960

1.0/10

The Montgomery, Alabama sit-ins took place during the era of Jim Crow laws in the southern United States. The first of the Supreme Court rulings against these laws – which are symbolized by the phrase “Separate but Equal” – took place in 1954, in the...

Gazans March for the Right to Return to Their Homes, 2018-2019

1.0/10

From 30 March 2018 to 26 December 2019, Gazans protested at the Israeli border every Friday for the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and land that they had been displaced from since 1948. This series of demonstrations is known n...

Iranians protest election results, 2009

1.5/10

Iranians turned out in large numbers to elect their President on 12 June 2009. The candidates included the incumbent and favorite of the religious authorities, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as well as three challengers: Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Mohsen Rezaee, and...

The Albany Movement campaigns for full integration in Georgia (Fall 1961- Summer 1962)

2.0/10

Up until 1961, the extent of the civil rights movement in Albany, Georgia had been limited to small student groups refusing to obey segregation laws; however, with the arrival of a prominent civil rights group the community would be energized. Albany...

Anti-Roads campaign fights highway construction in England, 1991-1995

2.0/10

Twyford Down, a small area in southern England, was the site of the Department of Transport's (DoT) plans to extend the M3 highway from London to Southampton Port in 1990. The DoT had used economic analysis to determine that the time saved from this ...

Burmese (Myanmar) monks campaign for democracy (Saffron Revolution), 2007

2.5/10

In 1988 Burmese students led mass demonstrations against the oppressive military junta of Burma (the country now referred to as Myanmar). The result was 3,000 civilians dead after a governmental crackdown and a prevailing junta. Shortly after, as the...

Pakistanis march on Islamabad against government corruption, 2012-2013

3.0/10

Tahir-ul Qadri is a Pakistani law professor, politician, and Sufi scholar. After serving as an elected Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Qadri resigned in 2004, claiming disappointment and frustration with regard to corruption and lack of ...

Pastors and students lead campaign to desegregate Danville, VA, 1963

3.0/10

The Civil Rights Movement in the United States gained momentum in the 1960’s with campaigns and demonstrations taking place throughout the country. Following the success of the 1963 campaign in Birmingham, Alabama, and the strong leadership of that s...

Pro-Settlement advocates protest Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and West Bank, 2004-2005

3.0/10

The Jewish and Palestinian territorial claim to the same area of land has resulted in one of the most protracted conflicts in recent history. Stemming from the Zionist demand for a Jewish homeland in the historic state of Israel, a homeland that woul...

Thai Red Shirts protest against Thai Government, 2010

3.0/10

Although Thailand has had a constitution since 1932, the stability of the country’s political structure is questionable. For instance, the country has had 17 different constitutions over this time period with government forms ranging from dictatorshi...

Effectiveness profile

Success by Opponent
Corporation / Business 8.0
Educational Institution 6.4
Financial Institution 10.0
Government / State Body 7.4
Judiciary / Legal System 8.0
Media Organization 7.1
Military / Police 6.2
Success by Theme
Success by Group Type
Success by Region
Success by Campaign Scale
Success by Goal Magnitude

Risk profile

Risk by region

Compared to the worldwide average for this method

Africa
skull
Lethal Force and Harm trending_down Below Average
personal_injury
Physical Assault (Non-Lethal) trending_down Below Average
gavel
Arrests and Legal Action trending_down Below Average
campaign
Intimidation and Harassment trending_down Below Average
lock
Restrictions on Rights and Freedoms trending_up Above Average
house_siding
Property Damage and Economic Reprisals trending_down Below Average
Americas
Asia
Europe
Oceania

Risk by regime

Compared to the worldwide average for this method

Closed autocracy
Electoral autocracy
Electoral democracy
Liberal democracy