Why Has Fundamentalism Become a TABOO?
For the past two decades and especially the last one and a half decades, the term that has surged the political scenario, in particular, is the criticism of the fundamentalist theory, and sadly enough, there seems to be no specific critique available or even an effort to make the provision of a critique is scarce.
Why has the world so relentlessly given way to the acceptance of the theory in terms of extremism and even religious extremism? Quite a deplorable situation emerges when we don’t see anyone, even the clerics, present an interpretation that gives a true picture of what the concept stands for and how it applies to people of all creeds and religions. It reminds me of a book titled ” The Reluctant Fundamentalist, ” which no doubt portrays the true reluctance of this tag and reflects upon the anguish of being tabooed as one. Having said all this, one finds it incumbent on one’s part to explore the concept in detail and to clarify a few misconceptions about this phenomenon.
How far can we go in our claim to be progressive? Does being progressive in any way demand an estrangement from the basis of your origin? Be it religion or any aspect of life. So basically, the whole debate, rather than the controversy in the whole world, is a misconception and confusion regarding a belief in the basics of one’s religion, which truly is fundamentalism on the same level as extremism. There is no logical connection between the two as every religion’s believers would always believe in its fundamentals, which form its basis.
Without believing in the fundamentals of one’s religion, one can never learn its true essence. This is where the foundation of your religion is laid, so how can any follower of any religion in this wide world deny that he does not believe in the fundamentals of his or her faith, thus not being a fundamentalist? It’s high time the world should pay attention to its misconception and misinterpretation of the term and its association with the Islamic fundamentalists only. We have to accept it with an open mind and heart and should not mix it up with extremism.
