Sean Bala reviewed Beyond Fundamentalism by Reza Aslan
Review of 'Beyond Fundamentalism' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
"Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Fundamentalism in the Age of Extremism" by Reza Aslan is an erudite, well-constructed examination of the rhetoric and ideology of modern religious fundamentalism. At once academic but instantly accessible, "Beyond Fundamentalism" (originally titled "How to Win a Cosmic War") gives the reader an original, interesting way of understanding the complexities of religion in modernity. The book argues that religious fundamentalism is motivated by shifting identities in the age of globalization. Tied to these shifting identities is an old idea called "Cosmic War" which states that battles on the ground between religious groups have comic importance - that they are battles between good and evil. Cosmic War is a war that does not compromise, does not take prisoners, and is ultimately unwinnable. In the War on Terror, we tend to lump all opposition groups in the Islamic World together. But Aslan makes the distinction between Islamism, which …
"Beyond Fundamentalism: Confronting Religious Fundamentalism in the Age of Extremism" by Reza Aslan is an erudite, well-constructed examination of the rhetoric and ideology of modern religious fundamentalism. At once academic but instantly accessible, "Beyond Fundamentalism" (originally titled "How to Win a Cosmic War") gives the reader an original, interesting way of understanding the complexities of religion in modernity. The book argues that religious fundamentalism is motivated by shifting identities in the age of globalization. Tied to these shifting identities is an old idea called "Cosmic War" which states that battles on the ground between religious groups have comic importance - that they are battles between good and evil. Cosmic War is a war that does not compromise, does not take prisoners, and is ultimately unwinnable. In the War on Terror, we tend to lump all opposition groups in the Islamic World together. But Aslan makes the distinction between Islamism, which are political movements with legitimate aims and concerns, and Global Jihadism, which buys into the concept of cosmic war and does not have a real plan of action for the countries it operates in. The West (itself not a monolithic term) makes things worse by not seeing this distinction and attempting to foster democracy in the Islamic world with many caveats. Time and time again, when Islamists are brought into the political process, they become moderate and fundamentalism rapidly declines. Each chapter of this book is well constructed and researched. Furthermore, Aslan (a Professor of Creative Writing at UC Riverside) is a fantastic writer, making the book very readable and memorable. This slim volume should be essential reading for any student of religion, international relations, or history.
