Fundamentalism is Here to Stay

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382 \ Chapter 10 DefinitionArcti c ice in particular and gl b Imajor issue for stud ents 0 0 a warmmg n general. Is this an your campus?Writing About the TextWrite an analys is of Ftiedman 's .to examine one of hi s b k Journaltstlc style. You might wantI . s, Some of whIch a 1 .li S news paper columns. re compi atlOn s of

More Writing Projects1. Write a journal entry about a stat .neighborhood a statue th ue on campus Or yourfor yo ur com; unity. at represents something Important2. Write an ex tended para ra h . .cou r ge g p which you define the word3. Write an essay in which ou defi .desc riptive detail and id I ne Iwenlysomellu gs Use

well as th e probl ' en I y t 1e aspIrations of the group asems and challenges facing twentysomethings.

Fundan \s m Is Here to Stay Karen Armstrong

Fundamentalism Is Here to StayArmstrong

Armstrong was born in England in 1944. She jo ined ao l i c convent at the age of seventeen but le ft after seven years.Her ex pe ri ence as a novitiate and nun , and her departure from th e

Catholic Church, are recounted in her autobiography Through eNarrow Gales (1982). Armstrong rose to prominence with th e publica ti on of A His ory o God (1993) . An internationa lly acclaimedauthor on re ligio us lopic.s , Armstrong asse rts that [a]ll th e greattraditions are s aying the same thing in much th e same way, despitetheir surface differences. What the world 's re ligions have in com

n o n is epitomized in the Go lden Rule: Do unto others as youwould have others do unto you. n th e following essay, whi chappeared in globalagendamagazine.com, Armstrong offers anextended definition of what fundamen tali sm is- and is not.

PREREADlNG: THINKING ABOUTTHE ESSAY IN ADVANCE

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How wou ld you defi ne reli gious fundamentalism? Do you thinkthat fundamen talism is a feature of all rel igions? Why or why not?Words to Watchsecularism (par. I) indifference to or rejec tion of reli gionpiety (par. I) dutifulness in re ligion; devo utnessinimical (par. 4) hostile, unfriendlysacralized (par. 8) made holy or sacredanomie (par. 10) personal unres t unc ertaintye thos (par. 12) guiding beliefs; moral naturesymbiotic (par. 18) li ving together in a mutually beneficial

relationship1 In tl e middle of the 20th century, it was generally as sumed that secu-

larism was the comi ng ideology and th at reli gion would never againplaya major role in world events. Today, religion dominates theheadlines, and this is due in no sma ll patt to the militant piety that hasdeve loped in every single major world faitl1 over the past cennuy.Fundamentalism Is Here to Slay:' Copyri ght CI Karen ArmSlrong 2005. Reproduced by pernlission of FelicityBryan Li1erary Agency and the author.

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386 Chapter 10 Definitionenables them 0 understand the new modem insft fma.Jority remains trapped in the premodern h ~ ~ I ~ ~ S The vastence the incomprehensible change as rofo dl '. eyexpen_cling to traditional religion for supportPBut:2 y dIsturbIng, andgresses, people find that they cannot b r modern IzatIon proand try to find new means of e . e re IglOuS in the old wayism is just one of these aitem ; r e s s I ~ g theIr piety. Fundamental_

after a degree of mOdernizatio: ~ s a ~ e e ~ ~ ~ h e r e f o r d e develops onlyThe d . IeVe .mo em spIrit that devel d hcharacteristics' independenc Xe III t e west had two essential 13~ ~ r Z I ~ e f : ~ t t ~ ~ ~ : ; ~ ~ ~ o c e ~ ~ ~ n ~ y I ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ; : ~ i ~ ; : ~ ~and inventors demanded' ~ r ~ e ~ o : ; d I n t e l l e c t u a l ~ a scientistsout interference from r r . to deve lop then Ideas withdespite the trauma of nl0edlglOUS or pohtlcal authorities. Further,ermzatlOn It was exc t bwestern countries were continuall . I mg, ecause thecreating something fresh B t y meetmg new challenges and. . . u m some developmg cou tr'ernlzatlOn came not with inde d . n Ies, moddence and sub pen ence, but wIth colonial depen-jugatlOn, and the west was so f h dcould not ilillOvate but onl . . ar a ea that thesedevelop a truly modern s Yt IAmnate. So they find it difficult topm. natIOn such as Ja h' hnot colonized, was able to ale . . pan, w IC wasthe modern economy in a::: Own dlstmctl ve contribution tohave not been able to do. ay at some Middle Eastern countries

A FIGHT FOR SURVIVALCulture is always contested, and fundamentalists ar . 1cerned with saving th . e prunan y Con- 1


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i 388 Chapter 1 Definit ionthe three mono theis tic traditions has developed in direct responseto what is perceived as a secularist arrack. The more vi c iou s theassault, the more ex treme the fundamentalist riposte is likely tobe. Beca use fundamentalists fear that secularists want to destroyth em , aggressive and military act ion will only serve to confinnthis conviction and exacerb31e their fea r, whi ch can spill ove r intoungovernabJe rage.

Thu s membership of al-Qaeda has increased since the recent 19Gu lf War. The offensive has convinced man y Muslims that th eWes t has rea lly inaugurated a new crusade against the Islami cwo rld. In the United States, Protestant fundamenta lists in thesmaller towns and rural areas often feel coloni zed by th e alien

ethos of Harvard, Yal e and Washington DC. Th ey feel that the liberal establishment despises th em, and thi s has resulted in a funda mentalism that has gone way beyond Jerry Falw ell and th e MoralMajority of the I970s. (Falwe ll is an American fundamentalistBap ti st pastor, televange li st and founder of the Moral Majority_a gro up dedicated to promoting its conservati ve and re ligious. Clu'is tian-celllric beliefs via suPPOrt of pOlitical candidates.) Somegroups, such as the Christian Reconstructionists, look forward toth e imminent destruc tion of the fed eral governm ent; the blazin gtowers of th e World Trade Cen ter would not be alien to their ideOlogy . When liberal s deplore th e development and persistence offu ndamentalism in their Own socie ties and world wide, they shouldbe aware th at the excesses of secul ari sts have all too often beenresponsible for this radical a lienation.

HERE TO STAYFundamentalism is not go ing to disappear, as sec ularists once 'imag ined that religion wou ld modest ly retreat to the sidelinesand confine itself to private life. Fundament alism is here to stay,and in Judaism Christianity and I slam at least it is becomingm reex treme. Fundamenta lism is not confined to the otherciVilizations. A dangerous gulf has appeared, dividing manysoc ieties aga inst th emse lves. In th e Middle East, India, Pakistan,Israe l and th e United S tates, for example, fundam entalists andsec ular libera ls form two distinct camps, neither of which canunderstand th e o th er.

:- Is H ere to Slay Karen Annslrongundame. 389t were often dismissed with patri-'I In the past, these movemen sbe h rt-siohted. We have to take- d d This has proved to s 0 ecian IS alO.. . I -lad the United States made a greaterfundamentalIsm very senous y. . Ie it might have aVOidedeffort to understand Shute Islam, or h x a m Revolution of 1978s in the lead-up to t e f

unnecessary error I k beneath the bizarre and 0 tento 79. The first step mu st be to 0 0 ts to discem the di squiet and. d I 0 of th ese movemen Irepu lSive I eo b I nger deride th ese theoh r t thei r roots We must no 0 .danger t at Ie a . f but learn to decode the ir I easoies as the fantaSies of" a lun atiC Innlge, atively with fears and anxiet-/::). 0 ly then c nwcce Cfe .and1mage ry. n , t no society can safely Ignore .ies that asw have seen to our cos

BUILDING VOCABULARYi . . n fo r th e followi ng re li -1. Write one- or two-sentence de 1 I 1 1 : I :s say. Judaism, Christi-

gions that Arm strong mcnt lO nsln 1 S.kh. n; Confu cianism.anily Islam, Hindui sm, U d d ~ ~ s a ~ that you do not2. Compose a Itst of all th ;, wor S Ifor them Use five of theseknow, and then fi nd del1 l11tlOns .wo rds in sentences.

THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT THE ESSAYUnderstanding the Writer's Ideas .

, title? Does she sa tisfy. What do you expect from t r ~ ~ s .your expectation s? Why or w y ~ iety (par. I) ? Do2. What does Armstrong mean b l ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ or why not?you find this tenn lO be n t r ~ ;care ;he mai n historical and3. According to Armstrong w a t modernity?economic factors th at gave fl se 0 d ty?

4. Why is fundamentalism a ~ ~ ~ ~ e ~ r i ~ ~ l t h ~ t fu ndamen-S. What does Armstrong mean lash be tw een civilizations, but atalism does not a c 14)? What examples does sheclas h within clVlhza tlons (par. .

provide to support this statement?d concemino fund amen-6. What conclusions does Arm strong raw 0talism?


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390 Chapter 10 Defini tionUnderstanding th e Write r 's Techniques1 Does this essay have a th esis statement or claim? If so whereis it located? If not, how does the essay succeed wi th ou t one?2. How woul d you characterize Annstrong's int roduction?3. Where does Arm strong use nega ti ve definition? What is thewriter 's purpose here?4. What types of evidence does Arm strong use to support herdefinition? From what branches of knowledge clo these examples come? What does Armstrong's selection of these illustra-

tion s sugges t about her audience?S. Why does Armstrong divide her essay into sections? Do youfind this strategy to be effec ti ve? Why or why not?

* MIXING PATTERNSWhere does Armstrong use com parison and contrast (Chapter 7to support her definition of fundamentalism? Whe re does she shiftfrom definition to process analysis (Chapler 5 ?

6. How would you characterize th e tone of the essay? DoesArmstrong present herself as argumentative, opinionated,objec tive, fair-minded, or what? Identify se ntenc es and passages that support your response to the writer 's voice.7. What , in Armstrong's opinion, is the answer to fundamentalism? How does her conclusion re flect this viewpoint?

Exploring the Write r s Ideas1. Armstrong asserts that fundamentalism is not an exclusivelyIslamic phenomenon (par. 5). Do you agree? Wh y or why not?Why is th ere a tend ency in today's medi a to associate fundamentalism wi th Islam rather than other re ligions?2. What do you think Annstrong means when she asserts thatcu lture is always co ntested (par. 14)? Provide examples tosuppo rt your response.3. As noted earlier, A rm strong refers to the clash of civili zations. Go online to di scover the or igin of the term and howvarious writers have responded to it.

'''\ism Is Here to Stay Karen AnnstrongFun l jIDEAS FOR WRITING

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Prew riting .I. f II the forms of fundamentali sm that you detect nMake a 1st 0 athe wo rld today.

Guided Writing .d d finition of fundamentaltsm.Write your own extcnde e . d ti on in which you present1 Compose a three-paragraph 111tro ue t. - ain oa or argumen .your topiCand state YO UI , : lain in your ow n rds2. Next use negative defimtlon to exp

what your definition IS 1 I to support and amp li fy your3. Develop at least three examp esdefinition. . . h lash of civilizations.4 Li nk your defimtwn to t e c for example. com-. ther rhcton cal strate y .Usc at least one 0 I I to help oroanize andparison and contrast or causa ana ySl - 0develop your essay. . answer to the problem of6. Conclude the essay by stattng yourfundament alism.

Thinking and Writing Co Uaborative ly .. man complicated issues ratsed byForm groups to diSCUSS the y . s ulat she uses to develop, Focus on the strategle .Armstrong s essay. .d . lmary of your di sc uSSlOn toher extended definition. ProVI e a sun ,the class.Writing about th e Text . .'s st Ie-her level of dlcl on, tone,Write an analysis of Annstrong d like Explain how her stylesentence structure, allusions, an t e ~ l d s for her audience.reflects the expectations that Armstrong

More Writing Projec t s . d. . wn atutude tOWar1 Write a Joumal entry explatntng your 0fundamentalism. 0 h definino militant piety.2. Compose an extend ed p a h r a ~ a I P a of civili zati ons.Write an essay defi mng tee3.

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Fundamentalism is Here to Stay