Yet, in Egypt, as elsewhere, it is possible to be an Islamist without being a
fundamentalist. Abul Fotouh who is head of the Egyptian Medical Association and
a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, does not find the Western way of life at odds
with Islam. ‘At the end of the day’, he comments, ‘we have a set of common
humanist values; justice, freedom, human rights and democracy’ (The Economist,
2003: 6). However, Hammoud indicates that in Egypt, it is the particular
circumstances rather than the particular religion that has given rise to a
fundamentalist opposition. The economic situation has led to increased inequality,
productivity has decreased and unemployment has rocketed (Hammoud, 1998:
306). Fundamentalists in Egypt, as elsewhere, have begun to offer social and relief
services which the modern state has signally failed to provide. The use of repression
and emergency measures against opponents has helped to create a revolutionary
opposition, and devastated confidence in notions of dialogue and consensus that
are crucial to a democratic culture (Zoubir, 1998: 329–31).American fundamentalism and the religious right
Anyone who thinks that fundamentalism is a purely Islamic phenomenon should
pay some attention to the ideas and impact of Christianity in Italy (and France) or
on the religious right in the USA. When American Christian fundamentalists Jerry
Falwell and Pat Robertson declared that the attack on 11 September was a
judgement of God for the sins of secular humanists, they were expressing a viewpoint
not far removed from that of the Muslim hijackers (Armstrong, 2001: viii). In Italy,
an organisation called the ‘People’s Movement’ provided a valuable back-up
resource for the Christian Democrats, although it reserved the right to campaign
against any Christian Democrat suspected of harbouring secularist sympathies. Its
weekly journal stigmatised secularised Christians as ‘Catho-communists’ (Kepel,
1994: 72–3). In France, an estimated 200,000 people have been involved with a
charismatic revival, with supporters making common cause with those Islamic
fundamentalists outraged by the ‘Islamic veil’ affair where the state insisted that
Muslim schoolgirls must dress in a secular fashion.
Fundamentalism (strictly defined) in the USA was rooted historically in the
American south, and the depression of 1929 was seen ‘as a sign of God’s vindictive
punishment on an apostate America as well as a sign of Christ’s imminent return’Chapter 17 Fundamentalism 389- Fundamentalism is necessarily about religion.
- Fundamentalists seek to return to ‘fundamentals’.
- Fundamentalists are hostile to all things modern.
- All Muslims are fundamentalists.
Myths about fundamentalism