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(Part 7 of 7)
CONCLUSION
Religious
fundamentalisms arose in the twentieth century and have spilled over
into the twenty-first century. By nature, religious fundamentalisms
oppose modernity as expressed in contemporary Western morals and
social values. Of the various faith groups which contain
fundamentalist elements, Islam has provided the most vibrant and
politically active expressions.
Although
originating in the twentieth century, the groundwork for Islamic
fundamentalism was established during the course of the previous
centuries. The Prophet Muhammad, upon receiving revelations from God
which were compiled in the Quran, provided an authoritative perfect
text. In the centuries immediately following Muhammad’s death,
Muhammad’s teachings and actions (as compiled in the hadith)
provided authoritative guidance for daily living, while Islamic legal
schools established a tradition of strict interpretation of Islamic
law. By the 19th century, in the face of pressures from
Western civilization and recognized internal weaknesses within Islam,
revivalist movements were calling Muslims to return to a pure faith
based on strict interpretation and application of Islamic law. The
revivalist movements, in turn, led to a focus on the utilization of
political force in the twentieth century in ongoing efforts to
establish Islamic law at the state level throughout the Middle East,
South Asia and North Africa.
Islamic
fundamentalism’s response to Westernization finds form in a number of
expressions. Modernization is embraced even as the West is vilified.
Modern science is placed within the context of and subjugated to the
Quran. The results of modern science (technology and weapons, for
example) are utilized despite their Western origins. Islamic
fundamentalists denounce and reject Western society and culture, while
simultaneously seeking to purify Muslim society through the forceful
implementation of Islamic (sharia) law. Women are the primary
targets in fundamentalist’s vision of Islamic law, and are subjugated
and persecuted in a variety of ways from clothing to appearances in
public to roles in public life. In terms of secular states, the
ultimate goal of fundamentalist movements is the overthrowing of
secular governments and the implementation of theocratic government.
The twentieth century to the present has witnessed rising tensions
between secularized states and growing fundamentalist movements, as
well as varied instances of compromise. In general, tensions continue
to increase as the number and intensity of fundamentalist movements
has risen sharply in recent decades. |
