Customer Reviews
Good summary of fundamentalism - one or two assumptions challenged - By: M. McManus, 19 Oct 2008 
The book explores fundamentalismin the modern world, particularly its variantsin the Abrahamic faiths, & also Hinduism. One thing that they all sharein common is that they are, far from being throwbacks to the past, very much the products of modernity & post-modernism. That is, with the rise of modernity, multiculturalism & multi-faith movements, religions which previously took the truth of their religion for granted are now confronted by spiritual & secular competitors for the souls & passions of believers. To counter this, fundamentalism has emerged, whichin all faiths is characterised by a rejection of pluralism, contempt & hostitility towards rival faith systems & an obsession with sexuality, especially female sexual behaviour.
The book is a short, but very precise introduction to fundamentalism, which is highly recommended.
IS FUNDAMENTALISM OUR FUTURE? - By: Tim Jackson, 14 Jul 2008 This wide-ranging study brilliantly charts the spread of fundamentalist ideas within the world's various religious communities. Christian, Jewish & Muslim belief systems are shown to have been penetrated by extreme political ideas which are quite new, yet often present themselves as rootedin a mythical past.
Ruthven makes very clear that fundamentalism can have a variety of ambitions. The fundamentalism of America's Christian right aim to justify global evangelization & strengthen America's power. On the other hand, the Islamist ideas of Sayyid Qutb, which inspired al Qaida, have at their root a disgust with Western society or, as Ruthven puts it, reflect Islam's much resented loss of cultural hegemony. The Islamic fundamentalism of the Palestinian Hamas movement is essentially about territorial claims.
By going into fascinating detail about these ideas, Ruthven manages to explain their appeal to growing sections of society & their ability to justify violence on a massive scale. This makes for a terrifying scenario, but also for a fascinating read.
Provocative analysis - By: Rolf Dobelli, 26 Feb 2008 Don't be deceived by how short this book is. It is an intellectual powerhouse that cleverly presents the major developments & nuances of fundamentalismin its varied religious, political & social forms. Author Malise Ruthven is an exceptional guide on this semantic, religious & social journey as he delves into uncharted territories that a casual reader would never even begin to think are related to this complex subject. In this provocative book, Ruthven draws amazing links among conceptual beliefs & modern issues, including globalism, feminism, nationalism, modernism & politics. Given how well this little gem sustains its high level of intelligent investigation, getAbstract recommends it to readers intrigued by the subject. Even if you know what the newspapers say about fundamentalism, you will learn something here.
