The Characteristics of Political Movements Inspired by Religious Fundamentalism - Literature review Example

What are the characteristics of political movements inspired by religious fundamentalism? Are any such movements dangerous to the secular values of Western states? Introduction The following brief discussion of political ideologies will focus on religious fundamentalism. First religious fundamentalism will be defined. Then on the basis of this definition religious fundamentalist groups will be identified. Importantly, the usual suspects such as members of Al Qaeda will not be the only religious fundamentalists considered. Religious fundamentalism is clearly present in Islam at present. However, it is also evident amongst some Christian groups in the United States and Ireland, in Israel among right-wing religious parties and elsewhere throughout the world. It is a heterogeneous movement and cannot be portrayed as solely an element in Islam as it is frequently in the popular press. According to Heriot religious fundamentalist movements are actually more alike than different in social scientific terms although their chosen holy books may differ. Analyst Peter Heriot defines religious fundamentalism by the presence of five characteristics. He describes religious fundamentalism as reactive, dualist, holy book centered, selective in interpretation of their holy book and millenialist. Initially, this definition will be elaborated on and illustrated. Then it will be employed throughout the remainder of the paper as the challenge of religious fundamentalism (anywhere in the world and in any religion) to the secular values of western states is explored. Religious Fundamentalism: Definition and Illustrations Heriot attributes five characteristics to religious fundamentalism and further asserts that all five must be present for a movement or theology to be categorized as religious fundamentalism. He defines religious fundamentalism as reactive, dualist, focused on a religious text or holy book, selective in its interpretation of that book, and millenialist which is to say they “are expecting God to fully establish His rule over the world at some future time.” (Heriot, 2009, p. 2) Religious fundamentalist movements are reactive in the sense that they set themselves up as a response to another doctrine. This is most evident in the case of Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda presents itself as a reaction to the new crusades that Israel and the United States (along with the United Kingdom and other European powers) are imposing on the Arab world. When Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb assassinated an American teacher in Mauritania it issued a press release that described its action as a response to the invasive presence of the victim, ““With grace from Allah, we were able to assassinate him, kill him, and purify the land of Mauritania from his criminal presence”. (“Al-Qaeda on missionary killing, 2009) Al-Queda also described the events of 9/11 as a response to American depredations and incursions. It is in this sense that religious fundamentalist movements are reactive. These incidents also capture the dualist or us/them mentality of religious fundamentalist movements. Fundamentalist movements see the world as a binary equation in which there is us (the adherents of the specific fundamentalism) the righteous and there is them, all others who are wrongheaded, mistaken and the enemy. This nature of religious fundamentalism is most easily identified in the historic struggles in Northern Ireland. Everyone is defined as being either Protestant or Catholic and that binary approach defines education, residence, what pubs one drinks in and every other aspect of life. Also, the Catholics are convinced that the Protestants are entirely wrong and endlessly conspiring against them and the Protestants assume the opposite. Thirdly, religious fundamentalists base their interpretation of morality, ethics, society and history on their holy book. In the United States the Mountain Retreat Organization website states, Bible believing Christian “is a signification that they actually believe that it [the Bible] is Gods divinely inspired Holy Word which is law, and not just the poetic writings of some good men” and that a true Christians “truly believes that the Holy Bible is the inspired Word of God.” (“The Mountain Retreat”) This website also states that the Bible contains laws for everything from sexual behavior to politics, and that it is an instruction manual for all of a Bible believing Christians life. This is an illustration of the reliance that religious fundamentalists place on their chosen holy book. It is also a useful illustration of religious fundamentalism within the United States. Additionally, religious fundamentalists believe that their interpretation of their holy book is the only interpretation that is correct. In this sense religious fundamentalists are opposed to other religions, but they are also opposed to other interpretations of their chosen religion. Most of the Mountain Retreat website consists of criticism and condemnation of other versions and varieties of Christianity. In Iraq Sunni and Shiite fundamentalists frequently clash and even bombings and killings are not uncommon. In this sense, religious fundamentalists are militantly selective and willing to violently and aggressively espouse their selective interpretation of their chosen holy book. Finally, religious fundamentalists are millenialists, which is to say they “are expecting God to fully establish His rule over the world at some future time.” (Heriot, 2009, p. 2) The website interfaithcalendar.org defines millenialism as, “a belief that Christ will establish a thousand year reign of the saints before the last judgment happens.” This connection to one thousand years in Christian belief is the root of the term. In the Bible the Book of Revelation (Chapter 20) refers to a period of one-thousand years following Christs return to the earth in However, millenialism, the belief that divine rule is pending, is also a belief shared by other religious fundamentalists. As defined by Heriot it refers to “expecting God to fully establish His rule over the world at some future time” and the belief “that they can hasten this glorious event by fighting, literally or spiritually, on Gods behalf.” Some religious fundamentalists sects of Judaism believe that they need to control Jerusalem, destroy the Dome of the Rock, the Muslim holy site, and rebuild the original temple to bring about the appearance of the Messiah. An organization known as the Temple Mount Faithful states its goal quite simply: The goal of the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement is the building of the Third Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in our lifetime in accordance with the Word of G-d and all the Hebrew prophets and the liberation of the Temple Mount from Arab (Islamic) occupation so that it may be consecrated to the Name of G-d. “Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful”. http://www.templemountfaithful.org/ Judaism and Christianity both have fundamentalist elements that are millenialist. It could also be asserted that National Socialism in Germany was millenialist as it wanted to establish a Thousand-year Reich characterized by German/Aryan domination of the world and was willing to wage war and commit genocide to bring that about. The preceding discussion has used a variety of illustrations to elucidate on Heriots definition of religious fundamentalism. It has also served to indicate that religious fundamentalism can be a facet of any religious movement and can be found in countries around the world including secular Western democracies. Religious Fundamentalisms Challenge to Secular Values The clearest evidence of the threat that religious fundamentalism presents to Western secular values is provided by the United States. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, popularly known as the Bill of Rights, states plainly, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (“U.S. Constitution”) Simply put, freedom of religion and religious expression is guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. This principle is anathema to religious fundamentalists who insist that their interpretation of the Bible is the only right interpretation of the Bible, implying that it is the only one that should be permitted. President Carter recounts in his autobiography exactly how religious fundamentalists confronted him in the Oval Office. President Carter was a self-described Christian. When he was elected he was approached by the Reverend Jerry Falwell, then leader of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), with the expectation that he would reinstitute prayer in schools. President Carter refused, arguing that to do so would violate the Constitution. Reverend Falwell was outraged, as a fundamentalist Christian he expected the President to follow his religious direction and grant exclusive rights to Christianity. (Carter, 1982) This is a plain illustration of the threat that American, Christian religious fundamentalism presents to the U.S. Constitution, a document that epitomizes Western secular values. A fundamental aspect of Western secular values is reliance on scientific investigation and the scientific method of experimentation. The idea that beliefs, public policy and a host of other fields of human endeavor should be evaluated and assessed on the basis of evidence. By definition, religious fundamentalism does not accept the scientific method. Islamic fundamentalists place their reliance on the Koran as the revealed word of Allah, fundamentalist Christians see the Bible as the sole source of wisdom, and fundamentalist Jews regard the Torah as the sole source of knowledge. In every instance this reliance on faith in a religious text flies in the face of the scientific method. The city of Jerusalem also reveals in practical, political terms the threat that religious fundamentalism poses. Christian fundamentalists regard Jerusalem as their holy site, the place where Christ was crucified. Islamic fundamentalists regard the Dome of the Rock as the second holiest site in Islam and the place from which Mohammed ascended into paradise. Finally, fundamentalist Jews regard it as the God-given capital of their nation. In pursuit of these conflicting interpretations Israel and Jerusalem have repeatedly brought the world to war. Conclusions Religious fundamentalism in all shapes and sizes represents presents a elementary challenge to Western secular values. It is an affront to the U.S. Constitution. It rejects scientific inquiry and deductive reasoning the basis of knowledge according to secular values. Finally, in purely pragmatic and practical terms it has inspired uncounted wars and conflicts most horrendously represented by the tragedy of September 11, 2001. References “Al-Qaeda on missionary killing: With grace from Allah, we were able to assassinate him, kill him, and purify the land of Mauritania from his criminal presence,” (2009). http://www.jihadwatch.org/2009/06/al-qaeda-on-missionary-killing-with-grace-from-allah-we-were-able-to-assassinate-him-kill-him-and-pu.html. Carter, Jimmy. (1982). Keeping the Faith: Memoirs of a President. London: Collins. Heriot, Peter. (2009). Religious Fundamentalism: Global, Local and Personal. New York: Routledge. E-book: http://books.google.ca/books?id=LPobJU03aIQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22religious+fundamentalism%22&source=bl&ots=d4nG5N4uBk&sig=cmcfRaT4l95t0IDL2mMu4rgjlDg&hl=en&ei=SJ3hTJWSMpTWtQPT1ZyfCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false. “Millenialism”. http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/Millennialism.htm. “The Mountain Retreat”. http://www.mountainretreatorg.net. “Temple Mount Faithful”. http://www.templemountfaithful.org/. “U.S. Constitution”. http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am1. Read More