Religion Can Change the Balance of Power, But Corrupt the Faithful Just as Any Other Source of Power

The first Dune movie was beautiful but predictable. Gorgeous cinematography courtesy of endless deserts simply could not make up for the predictable plotline. On the eve of being reassigned to rule another realm, a powerful house of aristocrats was backstabbed and wiped out by another house with the acquiescence and assistance of the emperor. Just as predictably, the native population of the realm was unconsulted, or even acknowledged, in the entire process, leaving the new rulers of the realm, just like the one before it, fighting a constant insurgency that disrupts economic production.

The story so far could be a parable of another colonial adventure past and present, where the infighting of a distant political elite dictates the future of millions deprived of any meaningful choice in their own future. Fight as they may, the overwhelming disparity in resources available ensures that the native population remains marginalized, perpetuating an entire governance system that focuses on the exploitation of resources for the further enrichment and empowerment of the elites while leaving little for the natives aside from violence when their occupation is challenged.

Thankfully, Dune's plotline, inspired by an Arab-like native population and a Middle East-like desert planet, makes the predictability nonetheless extremely relevant for current events. As Israel's violent occupation of Gaza continues after yet another insurgency led by Hamas, the world wonders, in this realm of such disparity in resources, who is ultimately worthy of sympathy. Unfortunately, the fight for global minds is also not an equal one: the powerful and rich, motivated by their desires to retain their power and wealth, see little reason to support a populace that can provide neither in exchange for their support.

But Dune Part 2 throws in a powerful new central element into the storyline that can challenge the "correctness" of cold rational calculus. Yes, access to resources, whether it be money, people, or technology, can come a long way in overcoming adversaries. But what about access to emotions that can unify a people through hope? What if finding a shared belief that can spur actions fanaticizes a people so much that those by their millions are willing to throw their very lives away to ensure that the belief is upheld?

This emotive power is what the second Dune movie explores as an equalizing counterpart to the sheer force of resources. Paul, the protagonist, initially resistant to the idea of being a living prophet to the fundamentalist native population, soon discovers how faith, in the form of religious following, can be harnessed to devastating effect against an enemy that is superior in every way besides the mental state and familiarity with the local environment. Perhaps exaggeratedly, the movie shows how religious power overcame technological power at the very end in a surprise all-out attack.

That message of "don't underestimate the power of faith," coupled with the Middle East-like settings of the movie, almost helps Dune become a warning to those who mess with the minds of Gazans a little too much. In Islam, exploited Gazans have a faith that they can count on to keep society together despite adversity. In Islam, they have a source of international support, albeit not backed by material or political resources, that can stretch all the way from their neighborhood all the way to Malaysia. Most importantly, in Islam, they have a source of hope that one day, they can rid themselves of outside oppressors.

Yet Dune Part 2, while reminding the audience to not dismiss how the "backward" can use faith to overcome their overlords, also cautions that faith, just any source of power, can corrupt its wielder. As Paul bought more and more into the idea of his role as the prophet, he started to become another schemer in the eternal power struggle among the realm's political elites. Leveraging the religious support of a small army of natives, he has placed himself at the helm of an empire in opposition to the existing elites, no doubt unleashing a holy war that brings death and destruction among his followers and other innocents.

The illustration of that two-sided nature of religion's power is timely, just as the emergence of a prophet. The idea that major religions remain largely the same across centuries is being challenged by the reality of evangelicals and fundamentals spreading new tenets rapidly through social media. Just as Paul can convert millions of skeptics into believers through a few deeds as written in the prophecies, new prophecies, and new self-styled prophets are rearing their heads digitally every day. Even if just one catches on in the mainstream, the world can see major changes just as Paul brought to his own.