Battle Against Religious Fundamentalism Religion Essay

The battle against panic in states like Pakistan is one where the Western universe finds itself in a conflict against spiritual fundamentalism. One common tendency among the leaders of these motions that we ‘re contending against is the advocation of force to reconstruct their alleged spiritual values. But when fundamentalism is viewed as force used to acheive coalitional ends and/or national involvements, such as the American intercession in Iraq and the battle against panic in Pakistan, one might every bit good add Western liberalism to the list of faiths above. Fundamentalism, merely set, is a motion or attitude emphasizing rigorous and actual attachment to a set of basic rules – and what is more basic or cardinal to human existences than the rule of endurance? To be just, if there is such a thing as Reason based fundamentalism, so the basicss of that sensible idea must be non merely to see Eastern fundamentalism in a new visible radiation, but besides to see what our reaction to that idea should be. In position of this, it is my place that fundamentalism is necessary – from the point of view of the alliance commiting those Acts of the Apostless. It appears that whether or non it ‘s Eastern or Western usage of this fundamentalist force, the forces utilized for the cardinal endurance of the alliance, such as the Muslim Taliban presently in expatriate in Pakistan, are done so in concert for their ain public assistance, an instinctual act, for which they can non be blamed, but instead should be held accountable for. This answerability should be a quid pro quo ; if they are to be held accountable for their ( Eastern ) extremism, we need to be held accountable for our ( Western ) extremism.

What is the intent of each sides fundamentalist actions? On one manus, extremism is seen in broad societies purely as a job of spiritual attachment ; this fits the common impressions about individuality when it comes to spiritual constructs, as they create solidarity between people. On the other manus is the impression that this has nil to make with faith, but instead an effort by people to derive or retain power. The job with both accounts is the failure to explicate why certain people are led to this version of their traditions or why those who lust after power seek it in such a peculiarly unsafe, dearly-won, and frequently unsuccessful manner. The modern universe is one of cultural diverseness with different values, Gods, and rites. This is non to state that Eastern fundamentalism is a reaction to modernness ; extremist groups are non antipathetic to modern things such as media ; they use schools, newspapers, telecasting and the Internet merely every bit much and frequently better than other groups. But some want to return to a past manner where such things were non used and where people are incognizant of other ways of life. The message from the modern universe is non merely that other ways of life are possible, but that people are able to believe otherwise and do their ain determinations without paying a heavy monetary value. Disbelievers are non ostracized ; those who break free of spiritual morality, every bit long as they follow the jurisprudence, still have a normal societal place. This earnestly threatens societal interaction that is based on coalitional thought ; the fact that many picks can be made in modern conditions without paying a heavy monetary value agencies that desertion is non dearly-won and is hence really likely.

To give a more dramatic illustration of what this means in a alliance, think of a platoon in times of war. This sort of group can merely work if common trust is really high, so that each person can take great hazards to protect others, cognizing others will make the same. Everyone must be confident that trust will overrule personal involvements ; otherwise members of the group would be tempted to desert when the traveling gets unsmooth. Once you have established that person is a poulet, you should merely non swear him in unsafe state of affairss and that ‘s that. Any clip spent penalizing this possible deserter is likely non directed at the victim but at all the others, reenforcing the message that desertion is dearly-won. Fundamentalist force hence seems to be, in portion, an effort to deter possible deserters by showing, publicly, that people who adopt different attitudes may be persecuted or even killed ( e.g. , presentations in forepart of Planned Parenthood clinics in the West or the public lapidation of fornicators in the East ) . As can be seen in Iraq in the past few old ages, a great trade of fundamentalist force is directed non at the external universe but at other members of the same cultural and spiritual communities ; turn outing that whatever foreigners do is of small concern to fundamentalists ( although these actions are noted by the West and responded to in sort ) . What matters is, among other things, what other members of the group are likely to make.

In the western universe of broad Reason this force is seen hypocritically as repugnant. The lone difference beyond the disparate signifiers of force used ( auto bombs versus aerial bombs ) appears to be liberalism ‘s ownership of these actions, as the people of the United States seem to be incapable of having their usage of force to protect themselves and their involvements after 9/11 and unwilling to label their intercession in Iraq as fundamentalism of a preemptive nature. In ownership of these actions, which truly are similiar to each other, Western societies put themselves on a par with their enemies, a conditional idea procedure which is counterintuitive in nature. In order for us to perpetrate force to protect our involvements, we have to psychologically seperate ourselves from our enemies actions, and label them as incorrect. Western societies view themselves as basically good natured, and in their heads good natured people are incapable of perpetuating violent actions in progress. Somehow, the self-preserving act of force which in the West has been typically reactive is divorced from Eastern fundamentalist force which is typically proactive ( the type of which described above ) .

But tout comprendre, Ce n’est pas tout forgiver: to understand them, does non intend to pardon them. I offer my point of view through this place paper in the hope of switching the proverbial paradigm with respects to an ethical attack to the handling of fundamentalism in a mode I hope is within the true kingdom of Reason, because the rhetoric of naming them the “ sinners ” does nil to progress the statement. The trouble is non that we are nescient in our accusals, but that we are self-deceiving ; we consistently keep ourselves from understanding non merely our actions but our enemies. In order to make this we would, as Jean-Paul Sartre one time wrote, have to “ cognize the truth really precisely in order to hide it ( from ourselves ) more carefully. ” If the western universe of Reason is genuinely sensible, we must lift above our prepossessions and biass and larn to sympathize with our enemies- to set ourselves into their shoes- and expression at us through their eyes. The more Muslim fundamentalists engage in the radical behaviour we are arousing by our attitude toward them ( and by their ain coalitional attitudes ) , the more they give us the alibi we need for holding that attitude. Both our agony and their error give us proof that they are incorrect and we are right.

Eastern and Western fundamentalist behaviours should non be viewed as a battle between the two ; instead, societies that blame one another reciprocally are in collusion with one another, each arousing the other to give proof for their extremism. Each believes the job would travel off if merely the other would alter. Yet because one society ‘s behavior proves to the other that they are at mistake, each one of those societies finds it utile for the other non to alter. What one conspiring society does justifies the other in making what they do ; the two of them ( and there can be more ) are rather literally bring forthing the job together. In seeing Eastern fundamentalism is this mode, along with stoping our dependance on foreign oil, we would no longer look at them with impeaching attitudes ; we would non see them as aching us, but instead as aching themselves. In that manner, we would n’t experience threatened and defensive. Some of the things that we struggled for before with our ain extremism might non look every bit of import to us, and we would n’t be overcome with fright and anxiousness. Our insecurity and despair at their actions would be gone. We would see Eastern extremists as in problem, yet responsible for their ain lives. This is n’t condemning ; it ‘s a signifier of believing in them. Our Black Marias would travel out to them, but non our bombs. When sensible compassion enters, unreasonable fright departs.