Islamic Fundamentalism Essay

20 March 2007 Introduction On September 11, 2001, the United States of America experienced the hit act of terrorism ever perpetrated on Ameri lowlife soil, as major targets in New York, capital letter DC, and Pennsylvania were the scenes of the massive slaughter of clean-handed civilians. From the endorsement that the issueset act commenced, the rumor mill flew into overdrive, hands waste blaming the terrorism on militant Moslem people, and implying that this drift had suddenly sprung up out of obscurity to pack at the heart of America like a thief in the night.The reality is much to a greater extent complex, for fundamentalist Islam has a much longer history, and the flagellum it continues to pose to westbound republic, even today, had been growing and mutating for generations previous to 9/11. In this melodic theme, the very definition of fundamentalism at its beginning will be presented, as wellspring as the perversion of it that has conduct to the challenges and t hreats the West today has come to bear. Roots of Fundamentalism.To begin, wholeness needs to actualise two very different and specific basis followers of Islam and Muslim Fundamentalists, as the two aggroups atomic number 18 vastly different, yet both claim genuineness under the same doctrine. In its purest form, Islam is based upon the antique teachings of the prophet Muhammad, who was said to bring in been given the Quran, or holy book of Islam, by God himself, with Muhammad as the messenger and deliverer of the Quran and its teachings to the masses (Davidson).If one were to follow the teachings of Islam in a more tralatitious sense, as Muhammad is said to have got received the name from God, they would be peaceful, obedient servants of God, and Muhammad, thereby enriching their lives, raising lusty families and leaving the innovation a better adorn than what is was when they were born into it. Eventually, however, political turmoil distorted this nub and gave rise to a strain of Islam that is known as Fundamentalism or Extremism, depending upon the source of the material.This interpretation of Islam and the Quran takes the unbending view that those who do non believe in Islam, and follow the Quran, are characterized as Infidels, and the price of their infidelity to Islam is death. Of course, the Christian ideals of the West make America a convenient target of this sort of massive hatred, however this hatred has also been fueled over the age by Americas defense of an opposite(prenominal) enemies of the fundamentalists/extremists such as the people of Turkey and Israel (Mustikhan).Eventually, the animosity of these Islamics would erupt against the US on a heavy(p) scale, beginning in the 1970s. The Islamic Terrorist is Born It is loosely agreed that those who are today termed Islamic Terrorists were first given that moniker by the West in 1979, when the United States Embassy in Tehran, Iran was seized by terrorists, taking hundreds of A merican diplomats and their support staffs hostage in a siege that ultimately lasted 444 days, and brought the United States to the brink of war with Iran.The group of Iranians and assorted others who were in essence the foot soldiers who under overlyk the plot, led by the extremist leader Ayatollah Khomeini, came to be called Islamic Terrorists (Hoveyda). From there, the stereotype of what a terrorist is, and their potential to wreak havoc on innocent people, began to grow in the minds of the world community. Threats to Western Democracy Due to the widespread nominal head of Islamic Extremists/Militants, the threat to Western Democracy has find very real, and of course has manifested itself in such tragedies as the Iran Hostage Crisis and 9/11.Given the humble beginnings and estimable teachings that are implant in the Quran, and were exhibited by Muhammad and carried down by his disciples, it is a wonderment as to just now how/why Islam eventually spawned a militant conspir acy which goes against the foundations of the faith itself. In a word, the violent offshoot is the byproduct of fanaticism. Fanatics are those members of the Islamic community who have taken the position that any government, or pietism (in their mind, they should be one in the same) that does not institutionalise the teachings of the Quran are the equivalent of parasites that must be eradicated for the good of the human race.The defense of this attitude, and the resultant madness which comes out of the attitude, is due to misinterpretation of the Quran, hence fashioning these individuals worthy of the extremist label. Because the Islamic Extremists have convinced(p) themselves that they are doing the will of God, as laid out in their creative interpretation of the Quran, there preferably literally is nothing stopping them from continuing to frame attacks against the Western Democracies, as well as other infidels who hold views and practice lifestyles which are contrary to the irs. single particularly chilling reality of the threat against Western Democracy is the fact that Islamic Extremists, while found in large numbers in whatever nations more commonly than others, really do not have a nation with borders, do not fly an identifiable flag, or wear a uniform that indicates that they are Islamic Extremists, despite what the leadership of the United States may choose to claim in the present day. Rather, the Extremists have the ability to move freely about the globe and do not have a set territory where organized armies can pursue and battle them.This sort of an invisible threat, not centered in a geographic fix that highly organized and well financed as well as armed to the hilt, holds the potential to nullify their enemies, such as the Western Democracies, which are pretty restrained by physical borders and the need to steep in conventional warfare. Because of this, the paradox is clear- how can an confrontation be fought if it cannot be readily s een or introduce? Also, the inability to negotiate with Islamic Extremists closes another passageway of resolving differences and stopping the bloodshed.Conclusion- What is the Future Threat? This paper has shown that Fundamental Islam has the means, mindset, and determination to bring Western Democracy to its knees, as well as the point of annihilation. What this will mean for the future is anyones guess but one thing is for sure- without some sort of deciding(prenominal) action against Islamic Fundamentalists, many more innocent lives may be lost, and hard lessons may be learned too late and at too high of a price.Works CitedDavidson, Lawrence. Islamic Fundamentalism. Westport, CT Greenwood Press, 1998. Hoveyda, Fereydoun. The Broken Crescent The Threat of Militant Islamic Fundamentalism. Westport, CT Praeger, 1998. Marin-Guzman, Roberto. Fanaticism A Major obstruction in the Muslim Christian Dialogue. the Case of ordinal Century Islamic Fundamentalism. Arab Studies Quarterl y (ASQ) 25. 3 (2003) 63+. Mustikhan, Ahmar. The Roots of Islamic Extremism. World and I July 1999 74.