Chip Berlet - If we want to understand the genesis of much Islamic terrorism by a small handful of Muslims, a speculative tour of their apocalyptic worldview may help us design a more effective response. Walk a mile in the shoes of those who claim to honor God and yet cheer the bombing of the Boston Marathon. They represent only a tiny fraction of the Muslims on our planet, yet they see themselves as carrying out the will of God. Fanatics such as these can be found in many of the World’s...
In almost every major religion in the world, there has been a growth of the fundamentalist wings in the past 25-30 years. This includes Christianity, Islam, Judaism and even Hinduism. James F. Hoge Jr. contends that something is happening at a systems level and hypothesizes that religious fundamentalism is on the rise as a consequence of globalization. Hoge is editor of Foreign Affairs, a forum for the discussion of American foreign policy and international affairs.