As a student of Arabic, I witness firsthand the gross misperceptions Americans possess of the Arab world after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. The ease at which individuals synonymize the Islamic faith with terrorism begs discourse and clarity in light of the current war on terror and American conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Sadly, Muslims everywhere have been victimized by the rise of a small extreme fundamentalist wing of their religion that has poisoned the world’s perception of the true, peaceful nature of Islam. Individuals correctly classify terrorism as the product of religious fundamentalism, but they make the mistake of assuming that fundamentalists exist only in one religion.
If the revolting politicization of the Terri Schiavo tragedy revealed anything, it’s the growing influence of religious extremism within the very country that has pledged to defeat it. With top U.S. leaders claiming to be God’s, in addition to their constituents’, representatives governing this nation based on the Church instead of the Constitution, America is beginning to toe the line between pluralistic democracy and Christian theocracy.
More pharmacists are refusing to fill subscriptions for birth control and doctors are using state laws to deny medical procedures to patients. More teachers are feeling pressured to teach creationism or related materials in their classrooms as scientific facts of evolution are increasingly being denounced as “theories.” Federal and state constitutions are being battered by legislative proposals whose spiritual foundations are masked by claims of social and moral legitimacy. Judges courageous enough to uphold the law are being denounced as sinful and unfit for the bench. The Christian idea of “righteous vengeance” continues to justify America’s position as the only Western nation that practices the death penalty. We are approaching the 10th anniversary of the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building, which was carried out by far-right Christian extremists.
The goals of religious fundamentalists are the same, regardless of which God they pray to. Both wish to strip the secularist foundation of states (whether democratic or otherwise) in favor of a nation that abides by the basic teachings of their worship sanctuaries. Both will not be deterred from pushing their radical agendas, even when they conflict with scientific fact or rule of law. Both see other races, religions and homosexuals as inferior and have difficulty living under states that refuse to agree. Both use threats and violent actions to impose a climate of fear, hoping to spread perpetual hysteria (the overlaying goal of the 9/11 hijackers), seek vengeance (the Oklahoma City bombing) and influence decision-making (death threats against George Greer, the judge in the Schiavo case, have forced him to use bodyguards).
Muslim extremists make no attempt to hide their quest for authoritarian states ruled by Islamic law, while Christians will vest their claims of wanting a so-called “democratic” state built on spiritual doctrines. Yet democracy does not bode well for religious fanaticism. When individuals are unable to tolerate the beliefs of others, and so obstinately attempt to install their own principles into rules of law, the idea of a government that refuses to establish a religion (or adhere to a specific faction’s beliefs) is not very appealing.
Whether or not the killing of innocents is considered justified in establishing a theocratic state is the element of extremity that separates the extremist from the terrorist, the Jerry Falwells of America from the bin Ladens of the Middle East. But whether it’s Islamic fundamentalists bombing U.S. embassies or Christian radicals bombing U.S. abortion clinics, there should be no differentiation in the either the recognition or condemnation of terrorist acts by religious fanatics.
Domestic extremism is as much a threat to this nation as international fundamentalists, but it is a threat of a different kind. Terror groups like al-Qaeda threaten the preservation of our nation and the lives of citizens. Domestic fundamentalists threaten the preservation of our pluralistic political system and the existence of this country’s most fundamental laws and philosophies.
Just as Muslim fundamentalists have tainted Islam, it would be tragic if America’s religious right gave Christians a bad name. If this nation is intolerant of religious extremism and the terrorists that it generates, then we must condemn extremists of all faiths.
Adam Lichtenheld ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in political science and international studies.
