Islamic fundamentalism

Islamic fundamentalism is primarily used in the Western world to describe Islamist groups. However, usage of the term is often expanded to include all of the following aspects of Islam and the modern Islamic world:

Related Topics:
Islam - Fundamentalism - Western world - Islamist - Islamic world

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• It describes the beliefs of traditional Muslims; that they should restrict themselves to literal and traditional interpretations of their sacred texts, the Qur'an and Hadith (since they view these as "fundamental" to Islam). By extension, fundamentalism may include a variety of religious movements and groups in Muslim communities which may be entirely apolitical. An example is the Tablighi Jamaat, a missionary-like organization whose main goal is to increase the personal piety of its members. Islamic fundamentalism thus describes an Islamic conservatism which forms part of the spectrum of modern Islamic societies.
• It describes Muslim groups which advocate Islamism and the replacement of secular state laws with Islamic law, also known as Shari'a.

The above perspectives are generally opposed by liberal movements within Islam to varying degrees; in fact, fundamentalism and liberalism often define the two poles of public opinion in Muslim society. This indicates that fundamentalism may best be regarded as a kind of conservatism which finds expression in a religious context.

Related Topics:
Liberal movements within Islam - Conservatism

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Islamic fundamentalism: As a way of reading one's religious texts ►