Islamic Fundamentalism, Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism

Abstract

The resurgence of Islamic fundamentalism is the most important development that has taken place in the Muslim world over the last fifteen years. It spread from Pakistan to Morocco, seeping into every corner of society, especially in towns but increasingly also into the countryside. It is particularly felt among those social strata which are in part modernised, but traditionalists are also being swept up in its wake. While this movement seized power in only a number of countries (Pakistan, Iran, Sudan) it holds cultural hegemony almost everywhere else. It sets the tone of the debate over public affairs, the terms and concepts according to which they are conducted, and exerts strong influence over the order of priorities in Muslim societies. This begins to be true even in faraway Islamic lands such as Malaysia (as proved by the incident with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra about playing works by Jewish composers). The fundamentalist attitude towards Jews, Israel and Zionism is thus of vital import.