Islamic fundamentalism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Islamic fundamentalism is a religious ideology which advocates literalistic interpretations of the sacred texts of Islam, Sharia law, and an Islamic State. ^[1] It is often regarded as the older, less preferred term for Islamism. [1] [2]

1 Interpretation of texts
2 Social and political goals
3 Conflicts with the secular state
4 See also
5 Further reading
6 Opposing views
7 Citations

[edit] Interpretation of texts

Muslims believe that the Qur'an is the unadulterated word of God as revealed to Muhammad through the Archangel Gabriel.

Islamic fundamentalists assert that a correct interpretation of Islam relies solely on the Qur'an, Hadith and Sunnah, excluding tradition and popular practice. ^{[citation needed]}

This view, commonly associated with Salafism by Western sources hostile to Islamic ideals, rejects Shi'a Islam, and the four common schools of jurisprudence in Sunni Islam. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Social and political goals

As with adherents of other fundamentalist movements, Islamic fundamentalists hold that the problems of the world stem from secular influences. Further, the path to peace and justice lies in a return to the original message of Islam, combined with a scrupulous rejection of all Bid'ah ("innovation") and perceived anti-Islamic traditions. ^{[citation needed]}

For much of the 20th century, revolutionary Marxism had been the dominant form of political dissent. However, the end of the Soviet Union and the Cold War largely discredited leftist ideologies and Arab Nationalism, and has led to the strengthening of Islamist parties. ^{[citation needed]}

Some scholars of Islam, such as Bassam Tibi, believe that, contrary to their own message, Islamic fundamentalists are not actually traditionalists. He points to fatwahs issued by fundamentalists such as “every Muslim who pleads for the suspension of the shari‘a is an apostate and can be killed. The killing of those apostates cannot be prosecuted under Islamic law because this killing is justified” as going beyond, and unsupported by, the Qur’an. Tibi asserts; “The command to slay reasoning Muslims is un-Islamic, an invention of Islamic fundamentalists”. ^[2]^[3]

[edit] Conflicts with the secular state

Islamic fundamentalism's push for Sharia and an Islamic State has come into conflict with conceptions of the secular, democratic state, such as the internationally supported Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This conflict centers on following issues:

rejection of the equality of men and women (i.e. they are unequal in specific aspects like how they think and act but are still equal overall)
rejection of the separation of "church" and state;
rejection of some of the religious rights, such as the right of Muslims to leave the religion, while the right to be a non-Muslim in Muslim lands is still allowed.
overdue intrusion upon people's rights using the religious police

As a result of this sharp conflict, many doubt whether fundamentalist Islam is compatible with modern liberal democratic states.