Islam Rediscovered
12. Islamic Fundamentalism
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to additions and innovations (
bid‘a
) in religious
matters and to replace them with the
sunnah
, the
original form of the Islamic Shariah.
The aim of the other form of fundamentalism is to
put an end to non-Islamic political set up and
replace that with an Islamic political set-up. Both
the forms of fundamentalism are totally different
from one another. The sphere of the struggle against
innovation (
bid’a
) is confined only to matters of
belief and worship.
Violence does not, of necessity, accompany
movements of this nature. Furthermore, it is aimed
at and concerned with the internal reform of
Muslims. Thus, in the relevant activities, there is no
possibility of coming into conflict with non-
Muslims. But so far as fundamentalism of the other
kind is concerned, it has been directed from the
very outset against political rulers, and whether the
inevitable confrontations have been with Muslim or
non-Muslim rulers, by its very nature such a
movement has demanded the use of violence.
This is where the principle of
jihad
has been
distorted and bent to political ends. It must be
