Fundamentalism / Intolerance

Submitted by Glenn Klotz (United States), Jul 30, 2002 at 09:24

I totally agree with Daniel. Just attacking Islam in general leads nowhere. Supporting those in the Islamic world who, like Turkey, have attempted to create a space for "secularization" of Islamic society is critical. But unlike the situation in Turkey and Pakistan, it cannot and should not be imposed by a clique of generals or dictators. If secular space is to hold it has to come through the kind of democratic struggle we see developing in Iran. We should also realize that the radical Islamic fundamentalism with which we are struggling also has its fellow travelers in the west and east in the form of other non-Islamic fundamentalist religious groupings in Christianty and other faiths. Fundamentalism then is the true underlying "evil" with its rigidity and its intolerance of all other lifestyles and cultures. For the moment the enemy is Islamic fundamentalism and it has to be defeated, but in the long run it is intolerance and bigotry of all kinds that have to be fought where ever they raise their "evil" banners.

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