7/28/2019 RF Essay Outline

1/1

Were the causes for the rise of religious fundamentalism in the last thirty

years of the twentieth century more religious than political?

[Need to compare with different religious fundamentalisms]

(intro) the rise in religious fundamentalism is defined as an increasing shift in popular support

from moderate secular, nationalist mainstream groups to more radical religious fundamentalistmovements.

(yes) religious > political

desire for religious state

hizbollah in south Lebanono shiite islamic organisation supported by iran and Syriao grew from a militia to an organisation with its own program, radio and satellite

tv station, and parliamentary seats

o recognised as legitimate resistance movement by muslimso strove for an islamic lebanese state

wahhabists in saudi Arabiao wahhabism persists as a saudi arabian representation of a solution to political

problems of islamo principles of wahhabism represent one of the more mainstream fundamentalist

ideologies in islamic existence and the most influential strain of thought

(no) political > religious

giving a political voice to the people - a reaction against domestic secular modernising stressors

rise of islamic fundamentalism had less to do with spiritual or cultural lineage of islamand more to do with providing a new voice for the silent oppressed Muslim

islamic fundamentalist movements had less to do with religion and more of aspontaneous indigenous response to profound social, political and economic crises

political issueso political instabilityo lack of democracy/electionso corruption

e.g. syria - rise of islamic fundamentalism was a reaction against Baathist regime as wellas socio-economic problems in 1970s-1980s

e.g. turkey - rise of islamic fundamentalism was reaction to failures of the state, politicalinfighting, left-wing politics (among others)

reaction against failure of (pan) nationalism

pan arabism failed to unite arab states to defeat israel or reclaim lands state nationalism given a bad name as it focused on own national self interests islamic movements articulated political and social greivances better than established

secular parties did

islamic fundamentalist groups were also nationalists concerned with lands and religion e.g. Egypt

o political vacuum left by president nasser's failure to forge pan-arabism and hisdeath led to decline of pan-arabism

o reaction against narrow, selfish secular nationalism (stand-alone effort to makepeace with israel to retrieve territories, e.g., camp david)

o resentment against western political models