Fundamentalism Is Primarily A Reaction Against Modernity
Fundamentalism is primarily a reaction against modernity. Do you agree?
Malise Ruthven describes fundamentalism as “A religious way of being that manifests itself in a strategy by which beleaguered believers attempt to preserve their distinctive identities as individuals or groups in the face of modernity and secularization.”1 During the latter part of the twentieth century fundamentalism has emerged among many major religions, with some displaying more militancy than others, in an attempt to preserve their identity in the face of modernity and the secular ideologies of the west. The following essay will briefly discuss the original use of the term fundamentalism before exploring in detail the birth and rise of Islamic fundamentalism in relation to modernity and secularisation.
The term fundamentalism was originally used to describe a movement which began in the latter part of the nineteenth century and fully exploded in the early twentieth century when American Protestantism was experiencing a divide between liberal and conservative Protestants. Controversies over Darwin’s evolution theory and the birth and rise of German biblical higher criticism were largely responsible for the split and as more liberal Protestants accepted and accommodated a modernist approach to their Christian faith, conservative Protestants clung to their traditional belief in the bible. In reaction to the higher criticism and modernism a series of pamphlets, which were compiled into twelve volumes known as ‘The Fundamentals’, were written by a number of leading conservative theologians, funded by Lyman and Milton Stewart in 1910. They were distributed freely to Protestant ministers and churches with the aim of affirming Christian doctrine in the face of modernism. It was from these volumes that the term ‘fundamentalists’’ was coined by Curtis Lee Laws in 1920 who stated “Fundamentalists were those who are ready to do battle royal for the Fundamentals”.2 Today the term
Malise Ruthven describes fundamentalism as “A religious way of being that manifests itself in a strategy by which beleaguered believers attempt to preserve their distinctive identities as individuals or groups in the face of modernity and secularization.”1 During the latter part of the twentieth century fundamentalism has emerged among many major religions, with some displaying more militancy than others, in an attempt to preserve their identity in the face of modernity and the secular ideologies of the west. The following essay will briefly discuss the original use of the term fundamentalism before exploring in detail the birth and rise of Islamic fundamentalism in relation to modernity and secularisation.
The term fundamentalism was originally used to describe a movement which began in the latter part of the nineteenth century and fully exploded in the early twentieth century when American Protestantism was experiencing a divide between liberal and conservative Protestants. Controversies over Darwin’s evolution theory and the birth and rise of German biblical higher criticism were largely responsible for the split and as more liberal Protestants accepted and accommodated a modernist approach to their Christian faith, conservative Protestants clung to their traditional belief in the bible. In reaction to the higher criticism and modernism a series of pamphlets, which were compiled into twelve volumes known as ‘The Fundamentals’, were written by a number of leading conservative theologians, funded by Lyman and Milton Stewart in 1910. They were distributed freely to Protestant ministers and churches with the aim of affirming Christian doctrine in the face of modernism. It was from these volumes that the term ‘fundamentalists’’ was coined by Curtis Lee Laws in 1920 who stated “Fundamentalists were those who are ready to do battle royal for the Fundamentals”.2 Today the term
References: Ali. T The Clashes of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity, (London, New York: Verso,2003) Armstrong Corbin. J, The Base: In Search of Al-Qaeda – The Terror Network That Shook The World, (London: Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2002) Esposito Esposito. J. L, Unholy War: Terror In The Name Of Islam, (Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2002) Ruthven Rahnema. S, Radical Islamism and Failed Developmentalism, Third World Quarterly, 29(3), (2008), pp.483-496 BIBLIOGRAPHY Ali. T The Clashes of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihads and Modernity, (London, New York: Verso,2003) Armstrong Al-Azmeh. A, Islam and Modernities, (London & New York: Verso, 2009) Choueiri Corbin. J, The Base: In Search of Al-Qaeda – The Terror Network That Shook The World, (London: Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2002) Esposito Esposito. J. L, Unholy War: Terror In The Name Of Islam, (Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2002) Kepel Ruthven. M, Fundamentalism: A Very Short Introduction, (Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2007) Watt Hellmich. C, Al-Qaeda – terrorists, hypocrites, fundamentalists? The View from within, Third World Quarterly, 26(1),(2005), pp.39-54 Nagata Rahnema. S, Radical Islamism and Failed Developmentalism, Third World Quarterly, 29(3), (2008), pp.483-496