Islam

Audio/Video

John Esposito, Part Five

© 2002, NITLE

This clip is 527 kilobytes in size

Running time is 2 minutes and 14 seconds

A problematic term for those seeking to understand political Islam and Islamic radical movements is the term “fundamentalism� so often used in the media. In this part of the interview, Esposito is asked to clarify the term. He responds that the term is used to apply to Islamic political and social movements, but that this usage is extremely problematic, first because it was originally applied to Christian movements that were not necessarily analogous to the movements it refers to in the Islamic context. Secondly, the use of the term fails to recognize the diversity within the movement. There are mainstream “fundamentalist� movements that have sought change through mainstream, legitimate methods and those that have sought change through illegitimate violence and terror. He argues that many authoritarian regimes in the Muslim world are happy with this monolithic designation because it allows them to discredit all opposition, legitimate or otherwise.