Fundamentalism Research Articles

Interreligious Dialogue and Gender Justice in Brazil

AbstractThis article reflects on the context and experiences of the project Advocacy for Gender Justice in Facing Fundamentalism, which has been developed in the ACT Brazil Ecumenical Forum (Fórum Ecumênico ACT Brasil: FEACT Brazil) since 2021. The article discusses the reality of growing violence, feminicide, and religious fundamentalism in Brazil, underlining the importance of analyzing the root causes and effects of religious racism. Seeing through an intersectional lens, the article reflects on key dimensions of gender justice and proposes strategies to confront domestic violence as well as other forms of violence. Finally, it reflects on the history of five “Ecumenical and Interreligious Journeys” as an important space of dialogue, collaboration, and networking.

Experience of countering the FBI destructive sects in the second half of the 20th century

The article examines the FBI's work to counter marginal religious organizations in the 1970s and 90s. During this period, the Bureau investigated three resonant cases involving followers of religious organizations: The mass suicide in Johnstown, the Ruby Ridge incident, and the Waco tragedy. Each of these cases led to tragic events, with varying degrees of FBI responsibility. Based on the documents of the US special services, we analyzed the methodology of the department's work with extremist religious organizations, compared and identified key problems and their solutions to the Bureau itself. We also considered the specifics of the FBI's interaction with the US Department of Justice based on which conclusions were made about the discourse around the Bureau during this period and the consequences that the three incidents we studied had. In addition, aspects of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's relationship with the White House and the presidential administration were considered. Based on the above, conclusions were made about the features and disadvantages of the work of federal agents in the field of countering religious extremism. In addition to a diverse source base, the study involved work on the history of the FBI, US political institutions and the history of religious extremism in America.

Harmony in Citizenship Education in Building Peaceful Schools for Students' Social Welfare

This article discusses the importance of citizenship education in building a peaceful and harmonious school environment for the social welfare of elementary school students amidst the challenges of global diversity and complexity. The article describes the concept of Citizenship Education in elementary schools, and its role in shaping student character, democratic values, and active participation in society. The research method uses a literature approach by exploring and analyzing the concept of harmony in Citizenship Education in the context of peaceful schools. The results and discussion found that Citizenship Education plays an important role in forming attitudes of tolerance, mutual respect, and awareness of the rights and obligations of students in elementary schools, so it needs to be ensured that it is integrated with character education in the school curriculum as an effort to overcome challenges such as religious intolerance and fundamentalism, and lack of awareness, towards the values ​​of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution by teaching the values ​​of peace, conflict resolution skills, and respect for human rights. Schools also play an important role in creating a peaceful environment and supporting the welfare of socially active communities through environmentally based school programs, namely adiwiyata, health assistance such as brushing teeth properly and correctly, and helping to improve student welfare by providing group therapy therapeutic (TKT) in elementary school students before facing problems and obstacles to socializing in society. It is hoped that peace education in elementary schools can play a role in forming students who are harmonious, peaceful, and prosperous.

The Interfaith Nyadran Tradition as a Manhaj of Islam Nusantara Da’wah in the Perspective of Multiculturalism

The development of a humanist da’wah model in the midst of multiculturalism can be realized through the interfaith <em>nyadran</em> tradition. The aim of this research is to develop a pioneering model of cultural and multicultural da’wah, with a case study on the interfaith <em>nyadran</em> tradition as a <em>manhaj</em> of Islam Nusantara Da’wah. The author uses an ethnographic-qualitative method in searching and presenting interfaith <em>nyadran</em> tradition data which is then analyzed with a philosophical hermeneutic approach to find <em>manhaj </em>of Islam Nusantara da’wah from a multiculturalism perspective. The results of this study found several findings:<em> First</em>, the interfaith <em>nyadran</em> tradition of Genting village, Jambu district, Semarang Regency is full of multicultural values, including: the value of unity in diversity, the value of respecting and accepting differences in religious, social and cultural backgrounds, even organizational groups, values prioritizing togetherness in harmony, the value of equality in the absence of discrimination of the majority over minorities, the value of social justice, the value of good prejudice in social interaction and the value of fighting for human rights. <em>Second</em>, the values of multiculturalism in the interfaith <em>nyadran</em> tradition then become an approach strategy (<em>manhaj</em>) in da’wah based on Islamic dialectics and local cultural traditions that are unique to the archipelago. <em>Third</em>, Islam Nusantara da’wah has several characteristics, namely: da’wah that continuously engages in dialectics with local culture, da’wah that cares for the spirit of multiculturalism, da’wah that avoids religious extremism, and da’wa that fights for human rights. <em>Finally</em>, the interfaith <em>nyadran</em> tradition in the scientific structure of Islam Nusantara da’wah in the perspective of multiculturalism is included in the category of approach strategy (<em>manhaj</em>) based on human creativity (<em>al-manāhij al-basyariyyah</em>), which includes: <em>manhaj ṡaqāfiyyah</em> (cultural approach), <em>al-manhaj al-'āṭifi</em> (feeling approach) and <em>manhaj jamā'iyyah</em> (group approach).

Understanding Evangelical Political Positions in the United States

Throughout the history of the United States religious fundamentalism has played a pivotal role in shaping its future. Evangelical Christians have historically been shown to be one of the most prominent religious influences on American governance. From the early days of white settlement of indigenous lands to the political mobilization of Evangelicals in the 1970s Evangelicals discourse has undoubtedly proven to hold strong institutional significance. With Evangelicals making up 25.4% (Religion, 2022) of the population extensive research has been conducted to determine Evangelical political opinion. Despite this documentation, research on individual Evangelical justification is lacking in the general body of knowledge. Through the use of a survey using political polling data followed up with open ended explanation questions, trends with secular and religious justifications were identified. While a small sample size may hinder the conclusiveness of this study, conclusions regarding trends in Evangelical response to gay marriage can be seen as polling data that reflects the general academic consensus. The findings of this survey will serve as a catalyst for further research not only into justifications for Evangelical political opinion but for further research into polling data on underlying justifications for voters in general.

Roles of religious music and religious well-being in the relationship between fundamentalism and subjective well-being among Korean Christians

ABSTRACT This study examined the relationship between Christians’ religious fundamentalism and subjective well-being, and investigated the roles of religious music and religious well-being in this relationship. Participants were 312 Christians in South Korea. The proposed path models were examined using analysis of moment structure. The results indicated that Christians’ religious fundamentalism was positively correlated with the conservatism of religious music, immersion in church music, religious well-being, and subjective well-being, whereas Christians’ immersion in church music was closely correlated with religious well-being. Additionally, Christians’ religious well-being closely was correlated with their subjective well-being. The study results provide support for a path model from Christian religious fundamentalism to subjective well-being via the conservatism of religious music, immersion in church music, and religious well-being. Thus, a direct path from religious fundamentalism to subjective well-being was found, with an excellent model fit. However, in this model, the coefficient of the direct path from religious fundamentalism to subjective well-being was negative. This study found that religious music plays an important role in Christians’ religious and subjective well-being, and that Christians’ religious fundamentalism can enhance their subjective well-being only through religious well-being.

Belief bias and censorship of religious extremism on digital media in 15 EU states: exploring individual and country-level moderators, a cross-country multilevel analysis

ABSTRACT The debate over freedom of expression is critical because of the long-term social and political consequences of potentially harmful expressions, such as religiously or politically offensive speeches that invite violent deeds and seek justification. This research note attempted to theorize that individuals’ belief bias is associated with their support for the censorship of religious extremist views. It also explores the conditional roles of educational attainment on an individual level and the quality of democracy on the country level. Relying on cross-sectional survey data from 15 EU states, the cross-country multilevel analysis found a significant positive relationship between belief bias and support for censorship of religious extremist views on digital media – the Internet and social media. The association between belief bias and support for censorship of religious extremist views was greater among people with a low level of education and in healthier democracies.

Pancasila, Islam, and Harmonising Socio-Cultural Conflict in Indonesia

The compatibility of Islam and Pancasila, the Indonesia’s national philosophy, is still interesting to elaborate even though there have been numerous discussions on the theme. Notably, this paper addresses the harmony of Pancasila and Islam as the umbrella for nationhood and statehood in Indonesia. The writers argue that Pancasila and Islam coexist harmoniously in Indonesia, and this kind of harmony is a valuable esteem to reinforce unity, diversity, and cultural heritage within the society. The acculturation of Pancasila is an effort to integrate its values into daily life through traditions and practices involving various stakeholders. This acculturation will encourage acceptance of diversity and prevent religious extremism. On the other hand, conflicts between political Islam and nationalist groups in Indonesia affect cultural-religious expressions and disrupt harmony. Pancasila is vital in addressing these conflicts and promoting diversity and ongoing dialogues.

Pemikiran Pendidikan Menurut Az-Zarnuji

This article discusses Islamic education thoughts according to Az-Zarnuji. Islamic education is expected to be able to shape students who can apply spiritual-religious values and ethics, but what is happening currently has not reached the intended goals. As a solution, there is a need for a renewal in the educational concept. This paper is written using the literature review method (library research). The findings reveal that Az-Zarnuji's educational thoughts are relevant to modern education in the following aspects. Educational Goals: The alignment with the national educational goals in the 2003 National Education System Law (Sisdiknas) regarding education goals, both emphasize morality, Educators: This can be observed through the teacher's personal competencies, which include a strong personality, noble ethics, wisdom, authority, and serving as an example for students. Students: Relevance can be seen in alignment with Sisdiknas Law number 23 of 2003, Chapter V, Article 12, which emphasizes students' responsibility to uphold educational norms. Curriculum: The foundation of the Islamic Education curriculum includes religious fundamentals and psychological bases. Teaching Methods: It is evident that memorization and discussion methods are still used in the current era, tailored to the students' needs.

Tire to Cope up the Patriarchal World as Portrayed by Adichie in The Purple Hibiscus

Women worry about subordination, as well as other issues impacting the development of the Nigerian female, have been voiced from a number of different perspectives. Nonetheless, themes like as gender-based violence, religious extremism, domestic abuse, and violence are seldom addressed in post-colonial literature by first generation female writers, in contrast to the writings of the new generation of female writers such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. As a result of the author’s works, it has been determined that patriarchy is an ideology that attempts to demonstrate that a woman’s primary role in life is that of a mother and wife. This classification has an impact on a variety of women, regardless of their educational background. Adichie provides a multifaceted rather than a simple picture of her characters in Purple Hibiscus. She has been successful in dismantling the stereotype of African women as a homogeneous group of hard-working, helpless, and self-sacrificing victims who are complacent in their inferior positions, as she has done. Beatrice is a character in Purple Hibiscus, and through her, she portrays a picture of an African woman who is oppressed by the dual burdens of patriarchy and illiteracy. She is unable to redefine herself or speak up for her rights, and she ultimately resorts to murdering her husband Eugene in order to save herself and her children from their ordeal. Due to her failure to assert her own rights early in the novel, she suffers the tragedy of her husband’s death as well as the imprisonment of her son, as well as the start of her insanity.

Notas sobre o surgimento do fundamentalismo religioso na América Central e sua relação com os direitos humanos

This paper presents the historical context of the 1980s in Central America to understand the social, economic, political, and human rights conditions that this region was experiencing, in which neo-Pentecontalism emerged as an expression of religious fundamentalism. This was not a native manifestation of these societies but rather a phenomenon that originated in the United States as part of a political project aimed at addressing the situation in the Central American region during that time. It was a period marked by political and military conflicts, primarily in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, whose attention and consequences led to the involvement of the other countries in the area. In the course of these struggles, Christian groups also engaged. They sympathized with the Latin American Theology of Liberation, whose central message was the option for the poor. This led them to support political movements of liberation striving to transform the capitalist socio-economic structure. This demonstrates that the religious element, which had historically aligned with dominant political and economic entities, broke with that tradition but, this time, through a small sector. In light of this, the United States made the decision to promote and introduce religious fundamentalism to Central America in order to halt revolutionary political projects. Understanding the context in which neo-Pentecostalism arises allows for a comprehension of its relationship with or opposition to human rights-related issues.

An evaluation of the flip flop approach to combating terrorism and religious extremism in Nigeria from 2015-2022

The fundamental responsibility of government is to secure citizens life and properties. The ongoing terrorist activities and religious extremism in Nigeria is yet to receive the required attention from the government. In light of the growing influence of terrorism and religious extremism in Nigeria, the study adopted the relative deprivation theory, to explain possible causes of terrorism and the recruitment of terrorists. The paper examines the ideological variations among the terrorist groups, using the quantitative textual analysis of secondary data to evaluate and scrutinize the flip flop approach of the Nigeria government from 2015 to 2022 in combating terrorism and religious extremism in the country. Despite the response by government, insecurity, terrorism and religious extremism have not been defeated due to lack of political will and the inability of government to make good laws to sanction offenders, thus, endemic poverty encourages the spread of terrorism and religious extremism. The study recommend among others, the need for government to properly police the borders, religious or tribal nepotism should not be condoled and not until systematic corruption, bad governance, inter religious and ethnic rivalry aimed at the control of state apparatus for economic and political selfish gains are seriously addressed and curtailed. The paper suggests that acute poverty and relative deprivation are precursor to the serial insecurity and terrorism that Nigeria is facing today.

Āyah al-Wasṭīyah: Dirāsah Dalālah Iḥtimālīyah

Moderation is one of the most popular-discussed themes lately. Therefore, this study aims to reveal the meaning of probability in the moderation verse through qualitative research with descriptive-interpretative characteristics to describe opinions and ideas as well as to verify and interpret the data contained in the moderation verse. Obviously, this research is part of library research with a language and semantic approach. Methods of data collection through library research, editing, organizing, finding and documentary. Data analysis through deductive, interpretive, and comparative techniques. The results of the study show that the word (al wasth) has a meaning: a name between two sides, honesty and justice (al-'adl wa al 'iada), the meaning of choice (al khiyar), moderate, and balance. Al Wasth is between excess and negligence (al-irath wa al tafrith), moderate in faith and belief, moderate in the needs of the soul and body, and moderate in spiritual and material matters. The causes for the occurrence of probability meanings in words (al wasth) include: verbal association (polysemy), integration of morphological formulas and changes in true meaning to metaphors. It is hoped that the results of this research will have advantages and benefits in deepening the unique language and diction of the Qur'an al-Karim and its deep connotations. This paper certainly supports the concept of religious moderation in Indonesia to tackle religious extremism and terrorism. Understanding the meaning of moderation will open opportunities for dialogue, openness and tolerance.

Pious protagonists: Using the screen to expand images of Muslim faith beyond the dichotomy of “good” and “bad”

This article analyses how movies have been reproducing pejorative and stereotypical storytelling regarding Muslims and Arabs for more than a century, mainly along a narrow-minded dichotomy between “bad” fanatic religious extremists or “good” non-religious secularized Muslims. The article explores alternative storytelling combined with using a model to discuss emotional engagement among moviegoers. The conclusion is that mainstream movie culture is still indebted to stereotypical images of Islam/Muslims. However, things are changing. More nuanced storytelling has been taking place lately, giving room for a broader spectrum of Muslim religious identity positions, including examples of religious wisdom and spiritual integrity, offering the audience imagery beyond the stereotypical “good” and “bad” dichotomy. Looking outside Hollywood and European mainstream films, new voices are being heard, making way for a wider spectrum of views.

Relationship Between Passion Pathways and Religious Activism: Why the Threat to Religious Identity Predicts Peaceful Activism or Extremism?

Identities of religious believers can motivate believers’ passions, emotions, and action tendencies. Religious identity-based passion can, therefore, lead people to identify with certain kinds of movements, both peaceful and extremist. Around the globe, identities of religious minorities provide a compelling context for studying peaceful and extremist activism driven by passion. Building on previous literature on social identity theory, passion, and religious identity, it was hypothesized that religious identity predicts passion of both types: Harmonious Passion (HP) and Obsessive Passion (OP). It was proposed that people who were harmoniously passionate about their religious identity would promote peaceful activism whereas people who were obsessively passionate would promote hatred and extremism. A sample of 221 devout Shias (a religious minority) from Pakistan participated in the survey-based experiment of this study (males = 108, females = 113; ages ranging from 19 to 38 years, Mage = 22, SD = 2.13; experimental condition = 111, control condition = 110). The results supported the key hypotheses of the study: identification with a minority (Shia Identity) leads to both Harmonious Passion (HP) and Obsessive Passion (OP); when the Shia Identity was threatened, HP and OP scores were lower. Furthermore, HP predicted peaceful activism whereas, under a threat to identify, OP increased and showed a significantly higher violent stance, predicting religious extremism. These findings support the assumption that HP leads to Peaceful Activism, whereas OP is associated with increased support for Extremism and Hatred. The results of this study replicated existing theoretical and empirical predictions about passion pathways and threats to religious identity. The implications of the findings are discussed in the context of contemporary identity threats and activism strategies among Muslim minorities in Pakistan.

Дагестанские русские в эпоху социокультурных трансформаций (конец XX – начало XXI в.): последствия и пути преодоления негативных тенденций

The article examines the demographic situation and social well-being of Russians in Dagestan and the North Caucasus during the era of sociocultural changes and transformations in the second half of the 1980s using literary sources and population census materials, as well as chronological, dia-chronic, structural-system, and actualization methods. XX – the start of the twenty-first century. This includes "perestroika," the collapse of the Soviet Union and the establishment of the Russian Federation with the establishment of a new paradigm of state and social structure, globalization, modernization, and urbanization processes, economic reforms, the rise of religious extremism, the Russian-Chechen armed conflict of 1994-1996 and 1999-2009, and so on. In general, these activities and events harmed the well-being and social well-being of Dage-stan Russians, resulting in a large exodus from Dagestan. The adopted state program to assist Rus-sians living in and returning to the Republic of Dagestan was inadequate and did not halt this bad trend. According to the author, the Russians have recently lost their high status position in the re-gion, which was established in the North Caucasus ethno-social hierarchy throughout the pre-revolutionary and Soviet periods. To regain this status, a comprehensive program to create safe and comfortable living circumstances for them in the region must be developed. The relevance of the study is due to the complex socio-economic and socio-political situation in the country and the world, the global challenges of our time, the special mission and responsibility of Russians for the fate of the multinational Russian state in a world order that is transforming from a monopolar (USA) to a multipolar (USA, Russia, China) world order.

Religious Fundamentalism: A Theoretical-Constitutional Analysis

This Article analysis the phenomenon of religious fundamentalism from a theoretical-constitutional perspective. The two basic questions are: what religious fundamentalism is? And what are its boundaries? At one side, religious fundamentalism is seen as a fundamental right (religious freedom) exercise, thus appointing proper constitutional boundaries in order to harmonize it with other rights, values, goods and interests. That is the question for applying balancing. From another side, religious fundamentalism is seen as a political control strategy, a platform for achieving political aims through a religiously based fundamentalist discourse. The Article demonstrates that not only the fundamentalist phenomenon crosses the constitutional boundaries of fundamental rights exercise, rather it denies central pieces of modern liberal constitutionalism.

Domestic Violence, Parenting and Insecurity in Nigerian Society in Stan-Collins Ubaka’s a Cry of Innocence

The scholarly exploration of the interface between literature and the menace of insecurity and terrorism in Nigeria has identified religious extremism and political disillusionment as the nervy precursors of the insurgents and their nefarious activities. Yet, domestic violence as a primordial cause of Nigerian insecurity and terrorism lacks scholarly focus. This study fills that critical lacuna. Inspirations are drawn from Psychoanalysis and Marxism. Psychoanalysis allows for the investigation of characters unconscious motives and psyches, while Marxism advocates for socio-political harmony. Stan-Collins Ubaka’s The Cry of Innocence will be the primary text this text will be subjected to critical textual analysis. It is discovered significantly that domestic violence in the text perpetuates the paranoid urge and tendency for terrorism and violent activities, the unscrupulous perpetration of all manners of child abuse exposes the victims to either unconscious or conscious form of violent behavior that may aggravate children and youth involvement in insecurity and terrorism. Therefore, curbing domestic violence is a quintessential strategy to combat the alarming spate of insecurity and terrorism in Nigeria.

Religious Moderation: Identity Politics, Policy, and Social Change in Islamic Religious Colleges

<p>Religious moderation is politically included in public policies that are integrated into the 2020-2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan (Rencana Pembangunan Jangka Menengah Nasional, RPJMN). Ministry of Religion as the leading sector for mainstreaming religious moderation in its environment has the responsibility to translate religious moderation from the narrative of religious moderation to the real action in its institutional units. This research is qualitative research conducted at State Islamic University (Universitas Islam Negeri, UIN) Walisongo Semarang which seriously promotes religious moderation in the institution. The results of this study are the problem of strengthening identity politics as one of the main causes of religious extremism and social change that exist, one of the efforts to minimize social turmoil in UIN Walisongo is by instilling the values of religious moderation through the tri dharma of university, namely teaching, research, and community service. The aspect of locality is the main capital in implementing religious moderation at UIN Walisongo. Indigenous religiosity combines religion and locality with a theo-anthropocentric approach, exploring cultural values in order to strengthen religion in the implementation aspect. The impact of the implementation of the data religious moderation policy is seen from the realm of ideality of policy content in the religious moderation policy, which can be seen from the integration of relations or a harmonious relationship between individual elements and social elements in human interaction which is the main target in the religious moderation policy promoted by the Ministry of Religion.</p>

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACTS OF MILITANCY AND MILITARY OPERATIONS ON THE SOCIO-POLITICAL MILIEU OF ERSTWHILE FATA

The former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan maintained a unique cultural and traditional identity, playing a crucial role in nurturing peace and stability within the region. However, the region’s tranquility was disrupted by two significant events in neighboring Afghanistan. First, the Soviet military invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 led to the rise of religious fundamentalism. Second, the United States’ invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 saw the disintegration of social and political structures relevant to the tribal society which was exacerbated by the region’s geographical proximity and ethnic similarity to neighboring Afghanistan. The emergence of militant groups in FATA following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan received a substantial response from the Pakistan Army and led to military operations in both the Frontier Regions (FRs) and FATA. These militant groups were able to spread their networks across the region, recruiting significant numbers of local people to their ranks and causing widespread devastation to military installations, mosques, and schools, amongst other key locations. This paper examines the impacts of these political and military events on the socio cultural dynamics of FATA, and the resulting effect on its traditional tribal structure. The paper utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach, incorporating analysis of official government and media reports, experts’ interviews, and independent research on the ground. This research comprehensively explores the impact of religious extremism, ethnic conflicts, and military operations on the socio-political dynamics of the traditional tribal society of FATA. Ultimately, this research provides a deeper understanding of the drivers behind the insurgency and conflict that have characterized this region and support efforts toward peace-building and conflict resolution.