The word fundamentalism has been picked up by the Western media and has become synonymous with terrorism and Arab or Muslim extremists and fanatics. This is misguided and overly simplistic, as it seems to suggest that fundamentalism exists only in the Arab world, confined to Islam and unheard of elsewhere. The world, post 9/11, sought a quick and easy explanation for the motives behind that tragic day's events, and in a sense, one can hardly blame them for pinning it on fundamentalism within Islam. However, fundamentalism is not a recent phenomenon and what's astonishing is that other fundamentalists, who hold equally dangerous views as those held by Muslim fanatics and are responsible for some atrocious acts of violence, were blocked out of the public psyche. In effect, non-Arab/Muslim fundamentalist groups found solace as the eyes of the world focused on Islamic extremists. The danger, of course, is that these groups continue to grow and operate without a watchful eye and the world will defeat one form of fundamentalism only to wake up to a more threatening one, emerging unfettered.

Defining fundamentalism is not an easy task as the connotations associated with the word repel any attempt to define it objectively. Karen Armstrong defines fundamentalists as "embattled forms of spirituality, which have emerged as a response to a perceived crisis." The crisis she refers to is a fear of the knowledge and technology explosion that is at the charge of creating our modern age and, perhaps, by oblique intent, resulting in a complex and immoral world. Hence, fundamentalists lust to return to the days where everything was black or white and escape the exponential growth of gray areas. More often than not, this leads to an oversimplification of matters and a distortion of certain truths. "In essence, all such movements are a natural consequence of human processes of cultural change." Both an internal and external struggle ensues with in fundamentalist movements, as they blame themselves for their weakening values as well as identifying an external oppressor presumed responsible for the crisis. Fundamentalists look to the past to identify a Golden Age in their history to which they can aspire in creating a future utopia, typically viewing all their actions, including violence, as justified since it is done to attain a desired tomorrow.

Fundamentalism is not without its benefits as it can, on occasion, provide lost individuals with structure and purpose, though, needless to say, the room for abuse may overwhelm any such benefit. Furthermore, it is important to realize that "an adequate understanding of fundamentalism requires us to acknowledge its potential in every movement or cause. We are all of us, to some degree and in some sense, fundamentalists." Also, fundamentalism, though usually connected with a religion, need not be religious in nature, although that said religious elements seem to seep through. Elements of fundamentalism tend to emerge in any struggle, whether violent or peaceful, against governing bodies, examples include the Irish Republican Army, the Tamil nationalists in Sri Lanka, the Naxalite movement in India and the various Palestinian groups, the most prominent of which is Hamas.

Examining Fundamentalism: A Closer Look

With the above discussion in mind, an overlooked examination of fundamentalism in the US and Israel needs to be addressed. 9/11 was not the first terror attack on America that is associated with fundamentalism, for in 1995, a tragic hint appeared when Timothy McVeigh carried out the Oklahoma Bombing. While America has been busy fighting Islamic fundamentalist abroad, homegrown fundamentalist movements have been brewing. Christian Zionist groups and Jewish Zionist groups continue to gain prominence, and what is more frightening is the influence they continue to gain in Congress, the White House and through the media. Christian Zionists believe that all Jews must return to Israel, gain control of Jerusalem, build the second temple and then the human race should engage in a great battle, Armageddon, in order to bring about the second coming of Christ. The Christian Right, including Christian Zionists at its extreme, is made up of the conservative part of Evangelical Christianity, which in turn is the conservative wing of Protestant Christianity. These groups have aligned themselves with Israeli extremist, in particular Sharon and his fanatical government comprised of such political parties as the National Religious Party headed by Effi Eitam.

US Evangelical Christians recently provided money to allow 371 American Jews to immigrate to Israel, as they believe that this will precipitate the above-mentioned apocalyptic prophecy foretold in the Bible. Prominent leaders within the evangelical churches have visited Israel recently, assisting Israel's spin machine, increasing their financial donations to illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza and running an ad campaign pledging their "unwavering friendship" with Israel, incidentally, these ads have been sponsored by such people as Earl G. Cox, a long time Republican activist who served in four presidential administrations. Cox recently told reporters, "Enemies of Israel must clearly understand that when they attack the Jewish state they take on millions of American Christians who passionately embrace the Jewish people". Another member of the religious right is former 2000 presidential candidate Gary Bauer, who on a recent visit to Israel stated that this is the time to be "behind Israel". Also, Yehiel Eckstien, an Orthodox American rabbi and president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, claims to have collected $60 million in donations from Evangelical Christians to assist Jewish immigration and furthermore, evangelical Christian funds support a third of the 145 illegal Israeli settlements.

Fundamentalist Christian allegiance for Israel is not a recent phenomenon, but, post 9/11, it is a growing one with an estimated 3 million Christian Zionists, and about 30 million Christians have some Zionist beliefs. What's frightening is not the fact that the Christian Right are staunch supporter of Israel, but that they are allies of the extremist Likud party and have frequently met with and sponsored visits by such fanatics as former Prime Minister Netanyahu, Jerusalem Mayor Olmert and the king of Israeli fanatics, Sharon himself. Christian Zionists like Pat Robertson, head of the Christian Coalition, believe that Israel may do whatever it wants, including murdering, torturing and fully disregarding the human rights of Palestinians, or any other nation that may fall on the wrong side of Israel. Rabbi Daniel Lapin sets the scene by commenting, "the truth is that today we are witnessing two distinct religious civilizations in conflict: that of the Koran, allied with the believers in no God, violently challenging the civilization of the Bible, of Christianity and Judaism." Hence, it seems this battle against fundamentalists, which the US is engaging, is really a religious battle between Christian and Jewish fundamentalists on one side and Muslim fundamentalists on the other. This allows one to postulate the true significance of Bush's words as he threatens the world with his remark "you are either with us or against us". Query if Bush's born-again religious convictions play a significant enough factor in the fact that he is the first president to be so openly in support of the right wing extremist Likud party?

Placing Bush's actions and biases on the fact that he is a born-again Christian and the possible impact this has on his policies is distorting the matter as there is a politically strategic motive tempting Bush to consider pleasing the Christian Right. This temptation is courtesy of the fact that the majority of the Christian Right are members of the Republican Party, whose vote is very dear to Bush. These fundamentalist Christians tend to be conservative with their politics and are dominant in the States Bush needs to get re-elected. Moreover, these Christian groups are very well lead and, as a result of the influence of their leaders, they vote in force. Evangelical Christians are connected via a remarkable media empire that commands a ready audience of about 50 million.

Most recently, the fanaticism that exists in the US Congress was uncovered when the leader of the Republican Party in the House of Representatives, Richard Armey, bluntly declared that he supported the mass expulsion of Palestinians from the occupied territories. Even more worrying is the fact that when Armey retires this year he will be replaced by his equally fanatical protégé Texas Congressman Tom Delay, who currently is the House Majority Whip. Basically, such men of vast power believe that Israeli government policies must never be criticized because Israel is doing God's will, a case of the end justifies the means, even if the means involve the extermination of an entire people. The worrying problem is that American foreign policy is possibly being intruded upon by those who are in a position to yield their full influence to create their demented world. The American government must be cautious of those within its institutions who exhibit the typical symptoms of fundamentalism by displaying complete blindness to the realities of life. Finally, it is worthy mentioning some fundamentalist Christians who donate obscene amounts to Jewish terrorist groups such as Terry Reisenhoover, an oil and gas tycoon who frequently visits the White House, Dr. Hilton Sutton, chairman of Mission to America, and Dr. James Deloach, pastor of Houston's Second Baptist Church, all of whom have formed the Jerusalem Temple Foundation with the primary objective of destroying the Dome of the Rock and all Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. To sum up the fundamentalism inherent in Evangelical Christianity one needs only to quote Dr. John Walvoord:

"God does not look on all of His children the same way. He sees us divided into categories, the Jews and the Gentiles. God has one plan, an earthly plan, for the Jews. And He has a second plan, a heavenly plan, for the born-again Christians. The other peoples of the world - Muslims, Buddhists, and those of other faiths as well as those Christians not born again - do not concern Him."

Examining Fundamentalism: Religious Conviction or Strategic Politics

Funnily enough, the world seems to be under this illusion Palestinians are prone to harboring and producing terrorist groups, while Israel is merely attempting to aid America in its bid to wipe out terrorism and fanaticism. Aside from the fact that America's seemingly higher moral ground in the world, with which Israel has parasitically joined, is actually itself infested with various groups spreading the cancer of fundamentalism, Israel has produced some of the most extreme groups, ironically this includes Hamas, currently Israel's number one public enemy. There are countless Jewish Zionist groups, who are responsible for some of the most atrocious acts and whose fundamentalism has fuelled the never-ending Middle East conflict.

After the 1967 war, fundamentalist Jewish groups sprung up forming the Movement for Greater Israel and pursuing the establishment of settlements such as Kiryat Arba near Hebron. Surrounding the developments was an atmosphere conducive of extremist settler organizations such as Gush Emunim. This group gained prominence quickly and soon it was impossible to win an Israeli election without having a member of the group supporting the potential candidate. Hence, during the 1970s, former Prime Minister Rabin had then General Ariel Sharon as his special advisor and current Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres had Yuval Neeman, who became the leader of the pro-Gush Emunim Hatechiyah Party, for support. The influence that members of the group still yield today is impressive to say the least, as Ariel Sharon has managed to reach the post of Prime Minister, giving him more raw power than ever to carry out his fanatical plans against the Palestinians and any nation that may prove an obstacle to his twisted vision. Zionist beliefs have always been part of Israeli society and while their significance may occasional ebb their survival remains intact.

"In the generation since 1967, the mood of most of Israeli society has swung from messianism to realpolitik, from nationalist fervor to watching NASDAQ prices of Israeli high-tech firms. But the idea that the State of Israel is a step toward redemption hasn't evaporated. It became common wisdom among religious Zionists: it drove the West Bank settlement movement."

Needless to say, since the beginning of the second Intifada, Israeli and Jewish fundamentalism has been growing at an alarming rate, and the power they yield is unmatched. Bush's "man of peace", Sharon, is in power. A greater victory for Israeli fanaticism can hardly be imagined! It is worthy mentioning, however, that Sharon's fanaticism is not derived from religious conviction, but, rather, from his hatred of the Arab and Muslim world, in particular, the Palestinians. Hence, unlike certain Jewish Zionists who fear the overall message of Christian Zionists, as it includes converting Jews into Christians or making them face a gruesome death, Sharon could careless and is willing to align himself with anyone who could possibly help him crush his enemies. It seems somewhat obvious then that Sharon does not plant religious fundamentalists in his government out of his religious convictions, but, rather, as a strategic political move that will allow him to achieve his personal fundamentalism. Sharon is a favorite son to all the hardcore Israeli fanatics as he supports their desire to control the biblical land of Israel that includes all of what they call "Judea and Samaria".

Sharon's government continues to be flooded by extremists, with the newest cabinet member being none other than the leader of the National Religious Party Effi Eitam, a former Israeli army brigadier general who was in the past denied a promotion within the army for his monstrous treatment of Palestinians. Eitam is an ultra-religious born-again Jew with aggressively undemocratic values, who has long aspired to become Prime Minister. He believes in crushing all Palestinians and even expelling Israeli-Arabs from Israel. Similarly, he is joined by the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, headed by Eli Yishai, which holds 17 seats in government and believes, according to their principal spiritual leader Ovadiah Yosef, that Sharon is not stern enough with Palestinians. These beliefs are shared by a majority of Likud members, although until very recently they had remained unspoken sentiments. It seems though that the door of extremism has been flung open as former Prime Minister and Likud Party member Netanyahu remarked:

"We must complete the purification of the area and clean it out totally of all fighting forces and arms. The Prime Minister and the government began this mission, but it has not yet been completed."

Netanyahu's usage of the word purification is significant, as it shows the long-standing goal of Zionists to embark on the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Such an agenda is supported by 46% of the Israeli population and over 60% wish the government would urge Israeli Arabs to leave the country. Another fanatical party in Sharon's government, the Molodet party headed by Benny Elon, the Minister of Tourism, have for long ran for elections under the platform that "only transfer will bring peace". Fundamentalism in Israel is alive and kicking and Israeli fundamentalist terrorist groups have never enjoyed more support than they do now as Sharon, like Netanyahu, is staunchly opposed to even "confiscate firearms in the possession of Jews who plan, or support, terrorist actions." As a result the Kach movement, founded by the late Meir Kahane, has never been stronger and an extensive extremist underground looms in the air.

The world is reaching a stage were fanatically pursuing one's agenda, through violence, is threatening all that man has achieved. Fundamentalist, ranging from those who oppose abortion to those who refuse to accept or recognize the beliefs and rights of others, all pose an equal threat. If America is serious in its bid to end extremism, fanaticism, fundamentalism or whatever else you want to call it, then it should not single out one form of fundamentalism as the scapegoat. Maybe America and its ally Israel should examine their societies first and rid themselves of their own fundamentalism before proclaiming to be defenders of our modern age. Furthermore, it is time for the media to deal with this issue in a less sensationalist way and expose the entire spectrum of fundamentalism currently thriving in our world.

¹K. Armstrong, "The Battle of God" (Knopf, 2000)
²W. O. Beeman, "Fighting the Good Fight: Fundamentalism and Religious Revival" in J. MacClancy, "Anthropology for the Real World" (University of Chicago Press, 2001)
³L. Caplan, "Studies in Religious Fundamentalism" (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1987)
⁴G. Gorenberg, "The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount" (Free Press, 2000)