CRS 3319: Religious Fundamentalism and Asian

Culture

Prof. WONG Wai Ching Angela

Religious fundamentalism? A wide range of phenomen

on, some violent, others peaceful: The Shia regime in Iran The Taliban regime recently

ousted from Afghanistan The Hindutva movement of I

ndia The Jamaat-e-Islami and Ja

miat-e-Ulema-Islam of Pakistan

Iran election 2009: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Khamenei

Religious fundamentalism? some violent, others pea

ceful: The Muslim Brotherhood

of Egypt; The conservative Baptist

movement in the US The pancasila in Indonesi

a

James Dobson and his Love Won Out conferences

Religious/Political “disturbance”:

Upsurge of religious extremism Rise of massive violence

→→ Is it waning Enlightenment?

→→ Is it product of modernization?

→→ Is it merely Islamic fundamentalism?

→→ Is it a religious movement or a social movement?

Common features:

1. A conscious effort to return to the core beliefs or values of a given religion or culture;

2. Texts taken to be authoritative are used to justify the return

3. An attitude of ambivalence is exhibited toward modernity or secularism

Rejected some aspects while endorsed others

4. Normally the presence of a self-appointed elite that assumes the leadership role

For transformation of society, capture of state power

Related features:1. A return to traditional values and an accompanying

sense of restoration for the building of alternative structures;

2. The search for a new identity, often at the expense of minority groups;

3. A preoccupation with moral concerns that tends to have an adverse effect on the position of women;

4. A spirit of militancy with which these objectives are pursued

5. No necessary tie between violence and religious zeal until recent association

R. Scott Appleby: A working definition Religious fundamentalism is

An identifiable pattern of religious militancy in which self-styled true believers attempt to

arrest the erosion of religious identity by outsiders,

fortify the borders of the religious community, And create viable alternatives to secular

structures and processes

A short history Origin of concept:

American Protestants in early 20th Century Recent attention:

1979 Iranian Revolution The success of an Islamic and anti-western political

movement The first theocracy in the 20th Century

By 2000 Religious ideology is back on world political agenda 2001, 9/11: The global Al Qaeda and the US-led War on

Terror

“The Fundamentals” Freely chosen self-description of the American Pr

otestants in 1920s Strict adherence to “five fundamentals”:

the inerrancy of Scripture, the Virgin Birth, the Substitutionary Atonement of Christ, Christ’s bodily resurrection, and the historicity of the miracles (second coming was added later)

The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth (1915) 1910-15, a series of 12 pamphlets a manifesto published by the conservative magazine Th

e Presbyterian entitled "Back to Fundamentals”

The Fundamentalists Description of “others” in late 20th century

With negative connotations Almost exclusively referred to Islam Anti-Western cultural and political values

E.g. Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 British Observer (1981): “the dangerous

fundamentalism revived by the ayatollahs and their admirers as a device, indistinguishable from a weapon, for running a modern state.”

An imposed label by outsiders, journalists and academics

Belief versus means The use of violence often not implied in

the original concept Militancy in fundamentalism ≠≠ violence

Militancy: built on religious exclusivity of specific groups at the expense of other groups

Aims at revitalization of traditional religions

Characteristics: Modernization—a disruption of tradition

Urbanization and technological innovation Ethnic and religious pluralism Creation of the nation-state, etc. Resulted in change of worldviews or relationship to

the divine Social and religious identity at stake

Look to the past for solutions Return to the religious utopia Use of violence as an unfortunate resort by some

A Project of Restoration A process of selective retrieval often found on a sacred history as recorded in

sacred texts Sacred history vs worldly history A moral opposition btw tradition and modernity

Tradition: divine centers in human society and acts as the source of good

Modernity: deviation from original tradition and therefore epitomizes all society’s ills and moral decay

Glorious Past as Vision for Future

Whether historical or mythical A deep sense of commitment, generated

and sustained thru’ religious ideology With religious imagery accounting for the

possibility of another world A moral foundation for such an alternative

society Projected onto the future through the

present

Exceptionalists: These are special times Departure from normal standards and

procedures are allowed Tradition of tolerance and peace could give

way to intolerance and violence Old social norms no longer apply

→→ A militant interpretation of jihad

Project of empowerment Effective organizational structure:

including the congregational groups and the independent “cells”

E.g. Al Qaeda network of Osama Bin Laden Development of practical strategies

“Pro-family”: for anti-abortion, anti-gay and lesbian, and anti-feminists

Intervention in law, education policy etc. E.g. American Christian Right

A fundamentalist program:

1. A project of restoration2. A project for “back to future”3. A project of exceptionalist4. A project of empowerment