60will always be there. It ’s the nature of life. What we
can change is the ideological lens, or the tribal na-
ture of one’s identity, or the identity- politics games
we tend to play. I believe that indulging identity
politics can be dangerous. It usually leads to divi-
sion. It doesn’t lead to communities’ standing
together.Harris I agree. However, such tribalism is one of the
consequences of religion. There are other sources
of tribalism— nationalism and racism, for in-
stance— but a shared religious identity has global
reach. As I’ve said, it creates in- group loyalty
and out- group hostility, even when members of
one’s own group are acting in abhorrent ways.
Muslims often rally to the cause of other Muslims
no matter how badly behaved they are, simply be-
cause they happen to be Muslim. Other groups do
this as well, but it is especially a prob lem among
Muslims in the twenty- fi rst century.
The Nature of IslamHarris You used the term “fundamentalist” earlier,
and I want to clarify another point of possi ble con-
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