crs 3319: religious fundamentalism and asian culture prof. wong wai ching angela
TRANSCRIPT
CRS 3319: Religious Fundamentalism and Asian
Culture
Prof. WONG Wai Ching Angela
Religious fundamentalism? A wide range of phenomen
on, some violent, others peaceful: The Shia regime in Iran The Taliban regime recently
ousted from Afghanistan The Hindutva movement of I
ndia The Jamaat-e-Islami and Ja
miat-e-Ulema-Islam of Pakistan
Iran election 2009: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Khamenei
Religious fundamentalism? some violent, others pea
ceful: The Muslim Brotherhood
of Egypt; The conservative Baptist
movement in the US The pancasila in Indonesi
a
James Dobson and his Love Won Out conferences
Religious/Political “disturbance”:
Upsurge of religious extremism Rise of massive violence
→→ Is it waning Enlightenment?
→→ Is it product of modernization?
→→ Is it merely Islamic fundamentalism?
→→ Is it a religious movement or a social movement?
Common features:
1. A conscious effort to return to the core beliefs or values of a given religion or culture;
2. Texts taken to be authoritative are used to justify the return
3. An attitude of ambivalence is exhibited toward modernity or secularism
Rejected some aspects while endorsed others
4. Normally the presence of a self-appointed elite that assumes the leadership role
For transformation of society, capture of state power
Related features:1. A return to traditional values and an accompanying
sense of restoration for the building of alternative structures;
2. The search for a new identity, often at the expense of minority groups;
3. A preoccupation with moral concerns that tends to have an adverse effect on the position of women;
4. A spirit of militancy with which these objectives are pursued
5. No necessary tie between violence and religious zeal until recent association
R. Scott Appleby: A working definition Religious fundamentalism is
An identifiable pattern of religious militancy in which self-styled true believers attempt to
arrest the erosion of religious identity by outsiders,
fortify the borders of the religious community, And create viable alternatives to secular
structures and processes
A short history Origin of concept:
American Protestants in early 20th Century Recent attention:
1979 Iranian Revolution The success of an Islamic and anti-western political
movement The first theocracy in the 20th Century
By 2000 Religious ideology is back on world political agenda 2001, 9/11: The global Al Qaeda and the US-led War on
Terror
“The Fundamentals” Freely chosen self-description of the American Pr
otestants in 1920s Strict adherence to “five fundamentals”:
the inerrancy of Scripture, the Virgin Birth, the Substitutionary Atonement of Christ, Christ’s bodily resurrection, and the historicity of the miracles (second coming was added later)
The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth (1915) 1910-15, a series of 12 pamphlets a manifesto published by the conservative magazine Th
e Presbyterian entitled "Back to Fundamentals”
The Fundamentalists Description of “others” in late 20th century
With negative connotations Almost exclusively referred to Islam Anti-Western cultural and political values
E.g. Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 British Observer (1981): “the dangerous
fundamentalism revived by the ayatollahs and their admirers as a device, indistinguishable from a weapon, for running a modern state.”
An imposed label by outsiders, journalists and academics
Belief versus means The use of violence often not implied in
the original concept Militancy in fundamentalism ≠≠ violence
Militancy: built on religious exclusivity of specific groups at the expense of other groups
Aims at revitalization of traditional religions
Characteristics: Modernization—a disruption of tradition
Urbanization and technological innovation Ethnic and religious pluralism Creation of the nation-state, etc. Resulted in change of worldviews or relationship to
the divine Social and religious identity at stake
Look to the past for solutions Return to the religious utopia Use of violence as an unfortunate resort by some
A Project of Restoration A process of selective retrieval often found on a sacred history as recorded in
sacred texts Sacred history vs worldly history A moral opposition btw tradition and modernity
Tradition: divine centers in human society and acts as the source of good
Modernity: deviation from original tradition and therefore epitomizes all society’s ills and moral decay
Glorious Past as Vision for Future
Whether historical or mythical A deep sense of commitment, generated
and sustained thru’ religious ideology With religious imagery accounting for the
possibility of another world A moral foundation for such an alternative
society Projected onto the future through the
present
Exceptionalists: These are special times Departure from normal standards and
procedures are allowed Tradition of tolerance and peace could give
way to intolerance and violence Old social norms no longer apply
→→ A militant interpretation of jihad
Project of empowerment Effective organizational structure:
including the congregational groups and the independent “cells”
E.g. Al Qaeda network of Osama Bin Laden Development of practical strategies
“Pro-family”: for anti-abortion, anti-gay and lesbian, and anti-feminists
Intervention in law, education policy etc. E.g. American Christian Right
A fundamentalist program:
1. A project of restoration2. A project for “back to future”3. A project of exceptionalist4. A project of empowerment