Fundamentalism Belief that society

should be based on the principles of

one’s religion

Characteristics of Fundamentalism

• Desire of a people to return to the values and traditions of their religion

• Reaction against secularism and the loss of values/traditions

• Tend to believe in a literal interpretation of the scriptures• infallible and historically accurate

• Opposition to westernization. • Western influences corrupt the society

Islamists

• Islamists –Same beliefs as Muslim

Fundamentalists –Want to return to the values set

out in the Quran and Early Islamic traditions

Arab Spring• Arab Spring

• refers to the democratic uprisings that arose independently and spread across the Arab world in 2011.

• originated in Tunisia in December 2010 • quickly took hold in Egypt, Libya, Syria,

Yemen, Bahrain

• Mohamed Bouazizi• was a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire on

17 December 2010, in protest of the confiscation of his wares and the harassment and humiliation that he reported was inflicted on him by a municipal official and her aides.

• His act became a catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring

Arab Spring• Causes

–educated but dissatisfied youth –human rights violations–to overthrow of authoritarian government

• government corruption

–unemployment–extreme poverty

Arab Spring• Effects

–Continued fighting and protests–Political reforms–Governments overthrown and the

formation of new governments