Islamic Fundamentalism Essay

20 March 2007 Introduction On September 11, 2001, the unify States of America experienced the worst act of terrorism ever perpetrated on American soil, as major targets in sweet York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania were the scenes of the massive slaughter of innocent civilians. From the moment that the starting act commenced, the rumor mill flew into overdrive, satisfiedly blaming the terrorism on belligerent Moslem people, and implying that this movement had suddenly sprung up knocked let out(p) of obscurity to tap at the heart of America like a thief in the night.The reality is much more complex, for fundamentalist Islam has a much nightlong history, and the threat it continues to pose to westbound Democracy, even today, had been growing and mutating for generations prior to 9/11. In this paper, the precise definition of fundamentalism at its beginning will be presented, as intimately as the perversion of it that has led to the challenges and threats the West today h as come to bear. Roots of wakelessism.To begin, wholeness needs to netherstand two very different and specific terms followers of Islam and Muslim Fundamentalists, as the two groups are vastly different, yet both claim legitimacy under the same doctrine. In its purest form, Islam is based upon the ancient teachings of the prophet Muhammad, who was said to deliver been apt(p) 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 traditional sense, as Muhammad is said to get down stock the word from God, they would be peaceful, obedient servants of God, and Muhammad, thereby enriching their lives, raising solid families and passing the world a better place than what is was when they were born into it. Eventually, however, political agitation distorted this message and gave rise to a strain of Islam that is known as Fundamental ism or Extremism, depending upon the source of the material.This interpretation of Islam and the Quran takes the inflexible view that those who do not believe in Islam, and follow the Quran, are characterized as Infidels, and the worth 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, barely this hatred has also been provide over the years by Americas defense of opposite enemies of the fundamentalists/extremists such as the people of Turkey and Israel (Mustikhan).Eventually, the rage of these Islamics would erupt against the US on a large scale, beginning in the 1970s. The Islamic Terrorist is natural It is generally 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 American diplomats and their support staffs hostage in a military bl ockade 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 undertook 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. holy terrors to Western Democracy ascribable to the widespread presence of Islamic Extremists/Militants, the threat to Western Democracy has draw very real, and of course has manifested itself in such tragedies as the Iran Hostage Crisis and 9/11.Given the humble beginnings and admirable teachings that are found in the Quran, and were exhibited by Muhammad and carried down by his disciples, it is a wonderment as to exactly how/why Islam eventually spawned a militant faction 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 submit taken the position that any government, or religion (in their mind, they should be one in the same) that does not practice the teachings of the Quran are the equivalent of parasites that mustiness be eradicated for the good of the human race.The defense of this attitude, and the resultant violence which comes out of the attitude, is due to misinterpretation of the Quran, hence making these individuals worthy of the extremist label. Because the Islamic Extremists have convinced themselves that they are doing the will of God, as laid out in their creative interpretation of the Quran, there quite literally is zero point stopping them from continuing to launch attacks against the Western Democracies, as well as other infidels who hold views and practice lifestyles which are contrary to theirs.One oddly chilling reality of the threat against Western Democracy i s the fact that Islamic Extremists, while found in large numbers in many nations more commonly than others, really do not have a nation with borders, do not fly an identifiable flag, or put on a uniform that indicates that they are Islamic Extremists, despite what the leadership of the United States whitethorn 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 difference of opinion them.This sort of an invisible threat, not centered in a geographic location but noblely organized and well financed as well as armed to the hilt, holds the potential to destroy their enemies, such as the Western Democracies, which are somewhat restrained by physical borders and the need to interlock in conventional warfare. Because of this, the paradox is clear- how can an enemy be fought if it cannot be readily seen or tracked? Also, the inability to negotiate with Islamic Extremists closes other avenue 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 decisive 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 restraint in the Muslim Christian Dialogue. the Case of Twentieth Century Islamic Fundamentalism. Arab Studies Quarterly (ASQ) 25. 3 (2003) 63+. Mustikhan, Ahmar. The Roots of Islamic Extremism. World an d I July 1999 74.