Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism is a religious ideology which advocates literalist interpretations of the sacred texts of
Islam,
Sharia law, and an
Islamic State.
[Bruce Gourley: Islamic Fundamentalism: A Brief Survey] It is the older, less preferred term for
Islamism. [
1] [
2]
Muslims believe that the
Qur'an is the unadulterated word of
God as revealed to
Muhammad through the Archangel
Gabriel.
Islamic fundamentalists assert that a correct interpretation of Islam relies solely on the Qur'an,
Hadith and
Sunnah, excluding tradition and popular practice.
This view, commonly associated with
Salafism by Western sources hostile to Islamic ideals, is wrongfully considered against
Shi'a Islam, and the four common
schools of jurisprudence in
Sunni Islam.
As with adherents of other
fundamentalist movements,
Islamic fundamentalists hold that the problems of the world often come from
secular influences. Further, the path to
peace and
justice lies in a return to the original message of Islam, combined with a scrupulous rejection of all
Bid'ah ("personal or sectarian innovation in religion") and anti-Islamic traditions. Innovation is allowed only in the cases where no clear guidance is presence in current religious texts and that too only by a large gathering of most reliable and rightious people.
Some scholars of Islam believe that, contrary to their own message, Islamic fundamentalists are not actually traditionalists.
Islamic fundamentalism's push for
Sharia and an
Islamic State has come into conflict with conceptions of the
secular,
democratic state, such as the internationally supported
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This conflict centers on following issues:
* rejection of the priority of universal rights and civil law upon religious group rights and religious law, and more specifically
* rejection of the equality of men and women (i.e. they are unequal in specific aspects like how they think and act but are still equal overall)
* rejection of the separation of "church" and state;
* rejection of some religious rights, such as the right of Muslims to leave the religion, while the right to be a non-Muslim in Muslim lands is still allowed.
As a result of this sharp conflict, many doubt whether fundamentalist Islam is compatible with modern
liberal democratic states.
*
Islamism*
Fundamentalism*
Christian fundamentalism*
Jewish fundamentalism*
Islam*
Salafi*
Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jamaa'h*
Fundamentalist Islam: The Drive for Power by
Martin Kramer*
Coming to Terms: Fundamentalists or Islamists? on terminology, by
Martin Kramer*
Islamic Fundamentalism: A Brief Survey*
Memri.org Organization Committed to Archiving Islamic Fundamentalist Media - Hundreds of Documented Speaches
*
Obsession: Documentary about Radical Islam's War Against the West by
Honest Reporting*
Khaled Abu Toameh Israeli Arab fighting Radical Islam through Exceptional Journalism
*
International Coalition Against Political Islam*
No to Political Islam* Sikand, Yoginder
Origins and Development of the Tablighi-Jama'at (1920-2000): A Cross-Country Comparative Study, ISBN 8125022988
