Religious fundamentalism Books

Book SynopsisFINALIST - Governor General's Literary Award for NonfictionWINNER - 2023 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writers Prizes for Nonfiction FINALIST - Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for NonfictionAn unforgettable coming-of-age memoir about a Black boy adopted into a white, Christian fundamentalist familyPerfect for fans of Educated, Punch Me Up to the Gods, and Surviving the White Gaze“An affecting portrait of life inside the twin prisons of racism and unbending orthodoxy.”  --Kirkus ReviewsA powerful, experiential journey from white cult to Black consciousness: Harrison Mooney’s riveting story of self-discovery lifts the curtain on the trauma of transracial adoption and the internalized antiblackness at the heart of the white evangelical Christian movement.Inspired by Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man the same way Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me was inspired by James Baldwin, Harrison Mooney’s debut memoir will captivate readers with his powerful gift for storytelling, his keen eye for insight and observation, and his wry sense of humor.As an adopted and homeschooled Black boy with ADHD at white fundamentalist Christian churches and tent revivals, Mooney was raised amid a swirl of conflicting and confusing messages and beliefs. Within that radical and racist right-wing bubble along the U.S. border in Canada's Bible Belt, Harrison was desperate to belong and to be visible to those around him.But before ultimately finding his own path, Harrison must first come to understand that the forces at work in his life were not supernatural, but the same trauma and systemic violence that has terrorized Black families for generations. Reconnecting with his birth mother--and understanding her journey--leads Harrison to a new connection with himself: the eyes looking down were my true mother’s eyes, and the face was my true mother’s face, and for the first time in my life, I saw that I was beautiful.

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Book SynopsisChristian Fundamentalism is a doctrine and a discourse in tension. Fundamentalists describe themselves as both marginal and a majority. They announce the imminent end of the world while building massive megachurches and political lobbying organizations. They speak of the need for purity and separation from the outside world while continually innovating in their search for more effective and persuasive ways to communicate with and convert outsiders. To many outsiders, Fundamentalist speech seems contradictory, irrational, intolerant, and dangerously antidemocratic.To understand the complexity of Fundamentalism, we have to look inside the tensions and the paradoxes. We have to take seriously the ways in which Fundamentalists describe themselves to themselves, and to do that, we must begin by exploring the central role of “the church” in Fundamentalist rhetoric and politics.Drawing on five fascinating case studies, Superchurch blends a complex yet readable treatment of rhetorical and political theory with a sophisticated approach to Fundamentalism that neither dismisses its appeal nor glosses over its irresolvable tensions. Edwards challenges theories of rhetoric, counterpublics, deliberation, and civility while offering critical new insights into the evolution and continuing influence of one of the most significant cultural and political movements of the past century.

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Book SynopsisBased on extensive interviews with mostly former cult members, this book chronicles the history of the Church of God of Union Assembly from its beginning around World War I up to recent times. Founded by a charismatic, unlettered leader, C. T. Pratt, who forcefully broke away from the Holiness COG organization, the church eventually found its home base in Dalton, Georgia. It grew steadily at first and then more rapidly as the great Depression ravaged workers in the mostly rural area of north Georgia. The group set up communal living practices and spread branches of the church across the country, recruiting among the most displaced with a message of social uplift and anti-capitalism, even as its religious practices became increasingly authoritarian and exploitative. If C. T. Pratt exhibited some characteristics of a violent cult leader, his son, who took over the church as his father suffered from ill-health, took these tendencies to a new level that eventually caught the attention of secular authorities. His son, in turn, was even worse--and placed the church on the path to financial ruin. Amazingly, the church survived its three authoritarian leaders and still exists

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Book SynopsisA significant contribution to the historiography of religion in the U.S. south, Forging a Christian Order challenges and complicates the standard view that eighteenth-century evangelicals exerted both religious and social challenges to the traditional mainstream order, not maturing into middle-class denominations until the nineteenth century. Instead, Kimberly R. Kellison argues, eighteenth-century White Baptists in South Carolina used the Bible to fashion a Christian model of slavery that recognized the humanity of enslaved people while accentuating contrived racial differences. Over time this model evolved from a Christian practice of slavery to one that expounded on slavery as morally right. Elites who began the Baptist church in late-1600s Charleston closely valued hierarchy. It is not surprising, then, that from its formation the church advanced a Christian model of slavery. The American Revolution spurred the associational growth of the denomination, reinforcing the rigid order of the authoritative master and subservient enslaved person, given that the theme of liberty for all threatened slaveholders’ way of life. In lowcountry South Carolina in the 1790s, where a White minority population lived in constant anxiety over control of the bodies of enslaved men and women, news of revolt in St. Domingue (Haiti) led to heightened fears of Black violence. Fearful of being associated with antislavery evangelicals and, in turn, of being labeled as an enemy of the planter and urban elite, White ministers orchestrated a major transformation in the Baptist construction of paternalism.Forging a Christian Order provides a comprehensive examination of the Baptist movement in South Carolina from its founding to the eve of the Civil War and reveals that the growth of the Baptist church in South Carolina paralleled the growth and institutionalization of the American system of slavery—accommodating rather than challenging the prevailing social order of the economically stratified Lowcountry.Trade Review"This is a well-researched and clearly written study that makes a significant contribution to the historiography of religion in the U.S. South. The author persuasively demonstrates that from the mid eighteenth century to the decades immediately preceding the outbreak of the American Civil War, South Carolina Baptists organized ecclesiastical institutions of increasing vigor and influence, with a wide-ranging Christian defense of slavery at their center, in order to extend their reach and strengthen their denomination.”&—Thomas J. Little, author of The Origins of Southern Evangelicalism: Religious Revivalism in the South Carolina Lowcountry, 1670–1760

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Book SynopsisThe aughts was a strange era for everyone. America finally filled that hammer-and-sickle-size hole in its heart with turbans and beards. High schoolers went from wearing JNCO denim tents to hermetically sealed Jeggings. And someone declared war on Christmas.

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Book SynopsisAlmost thirty years ago, the image of burning copies of Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses held aloft by thousand-strong mobs of protesters became an internationally familiar symbol of anger and offence. In From Fatwa to Jihad, Kenan Malik reveals how the Rushdie affair transformed the debate worldwide on multiculturalism, tolerance and free speech, helped fuel the rise of radical Islam and pointed the way to the horrors of 9/11 and 7/7. In this new edition, Malik examines the rise of home-grown jihadis, the threat of IS-inspired terrorism in Europe and how the West has failed to learn the lessons of the past.Trade ReviewA gripping account of how we went from burning books to bombs on buses. The Rushdie Affair has shaped all our lives. This book shows us how. -- Hanif KureishiA thorough and highly readable history of the politics of the Rushdie affair and an important intervention in the current debate on freedom of expression. -- Monica AliA riveting political history of contemporary Britain... Impeccably researched, brimming with detail, yet razor-sharp in its argument. -- Lisa Appignanesi * Independent *Few writers have untangled the paradoxes and unintended consequences of political Islam as deftly as Malik -- Maureen Freely * Washington Post *Enthralling -- Robert McCrum * Observer *An admirable piece of reportage... subtle and intelligent -- Stuart Kelly * Scotsman *Seldom can a book have had a more searing relevance to contemporary events -- Lindsay Johns * New Humanist *

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Book SynopsisWith the seeming defeat of ISIS, has jihadism disappeared from world politics? In this startling new book, Stephen Chan uncovers the ideological foundations that allow ISIS and other jihadi groups to survive, as they propagate terror by sophisticated means online and continue thrusting their spear at the West. Far from presenting simple-minded, black-clad fighters, Chan describes an elaborate process of online recruitment, which is, in its own terrible way, meaningful and thoughtful. He examines the foundations of this thought and the step-by-step methods of jihadi indoctrination, exposing the lack of IT knowledge among Western world leaders and urging the 'moderate' Islamic community in the West to challenge jihadi ideology with a courageous, non-violent ideology of its own. Without a counter-ideology, Chan argues, alienated Muslim youth are drawn not only to glamorised dreams of violence, but also to the pull of a totalising system of politics and theology. Spear to the West picks apart the fallacy of 'thoughtless' jihadi carnage, arguing that—dangerous and gruesome as it might be—there is more thought behind this phenomenon of destruction than meets the eye.Trade Review‘Chan’s argument … has at least two major implications: only those capable of speaking within the ideological terms of jihadis can counter their appeal, and counterterrorism strategists must consider using the Internet in ways they have not yet tried.’ -- Foreign Affairs‘Chan’s succinct and discerning study of violent jihadism and radicalization will reward specialists and policy-makers, but its apportionment in discrete, digestible essays makes it a good choice for anyone needing a primer on its complex and critically important subject.’ -- Michigan War Studies Review'With erudition and élan, this insightful book challenges us to rise above facile condemnations and to acknowledge that contemporary jihadists evince a moral reasoning--one that is, at once, motivating, arrogant, and self-limiting.' -- James Piscatori, co-author of 'Muslim Politics'‘For anyone who is seeking to understand the mind of the jihadis, Chen has provided a wealth of information and insights.’'Stephen Chan is one of the great doyens of world politics. His book "Spear to the West" displays his distinctive global consciousness and unique cultural empathy, even when tackling the most contentious topics.' -- Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, Professor in Global Thought and Comparative Philosophies, SOAS, University of London'In this brilliant, disturbing work Chan lays bare the global jihad’s sinister engagement with modernity. Full of insights, it is one of the best treatments of radicalisation I have read.' -- John Calvert, Professor of History, Creighton University'Chan shows how the West incubates jihad and must instead respond actively to digital recruitment by ISIS. He also argues powerfully for debate within Islamic scholarship to accommodate Muslim aspirations for justice.' -- Alison Scott-Baumann, Professor of Society and Belief, SOAS University of London

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Book SynopsisOlivier Roy, world-renowned authority on Islam and politics, finds in the modern disconnection between faith communities and socio-cultural identities a fertile space for fundamentalism to grow. Instead of freeing the world from religion, secularization has encouraged a kind of holy ignorance to take root, an anti-intellectualism that promises immediate, emotional access to the sacred and positions itself in direct opposition to contemporary pagan culture. The secularization of society was supposed to free people from religion, yet individuals are converting en masse to fundamentalist faiths, such as Protestant evangelicalism, Islamic Salafism, and Haredi Judaism. These religions either reconnect adherents to their culture through casual referents, like halal fast food, or maintain their momentum through purification rituals, such as speaking in tongues, a practice that allows believers to utter a language that is entirely their own. Instead of a return to traditional religious worship, we are now witnessing the individualization of faith and the disassociation of faith communities from ethnic and national identities. Roy explores the options now available to powers that hope to integrate or control these groups; and whether marginalization or homogenization will further divide believers from their culture.Trade ReviewOlivier Roy, the outstanding scholar of contemporary religions, has written a book of startling clarity and wisdom. Illuminating trends, issues and movements that had before appeared bizarre or simply antipathetic, he provides us with tools for the comprehension of matters as diverse as coverage of the war on terror to the common individual confusion over one's own beliefs and scepticisms. * Financial Times *'Holy Ignorance' is in a way a synthesis of all Roy's previous work on the sociology of religion. It formulates forcefully the thesis that has been taking shape throughout his previous works: in a globalised world, religion thrives to the extent that it has severed its ties with culture. This de-culturation . . . of religions explains their revival, and much of our difficulties in understanding them. . . . It is certainly an important book that is written in an easy, accessible language fit for a wide audience . . . Roy's erudition is simply flabbergasting, and it has the merit of making his book very concrete, very vivid. -- Nicholas Guilhot, New York UniversityRoy's central theses about the way religion is going in today's world (a breathtakingly ambitious exercise to be sure) could, and deserve to, reset . . . debates about secularization and secularism, and give birth to creative new departures in theory and research. -- David Lehmann, Cambridge UniversityOver the past few years, a number of theories have been offered about the rise of fundamentalism. The brilliant French social scientist Roy proposes the most original - and the most persuasive. Fundamentalism, in his view, is a symptom of, rather than a reaction against, the increasing secularization of society. Whether it takes the form of the Christian right in the United States or Salafist purity in the Muslim world, fundamentalism is not about restoring a more authentic and deeply spiritual religious experience. It is instead a manifestation of holy ignorance, Roy's biting term meant to characterize the worldview of those who, having lost both their theology and their roots, subscribe to ideas as incoherent as they are ultimately futile. The most important thing to know about those urging the restoration of a lost religious authenticity is that they are sustained by the very forces they denounce. * The New York Times *Above all else, Mr. Roy is able to show us vividly how much has changed with the secularization that Weber predicted . . . how formerly Christian societies have lost a sense of their own religious foundation... By transforming itself into another instrument of therapeutic . . . satisfaction, Mr. Roy observes, religion risks losing its soul. * Wall Street Journal *an erudite account of intricate relationships between religion and other markers of identity, including nationality, socially defined race, language, class, political ideology, generation, gender and sexual orientation. * Times Literary Supplement *A highly complex book that critically examines the relationship between religion, culture and globalization, 'Holy Ignorance' provides theoretical keys to unlocking the riddle of the religious imagination and the 'deculturation' of religious movements in the modern world. Few scholars of religion are as qualified as Olivier Roy to write such an erudite work on religious and cultural trends, to contextualize them and to make sense of them. -- Fawaz A. Gerges, Professor and Chair of Middle Eastern Politics and International Relations, London School of EconomicsWith 'Holy Ignorance' Olivier Roy moves beyond his established perch as one of contemporary Islam's foremost scholars to train his formidable analytical skills on the question of globalization's broader impact on religion. The result is a tour de force of comparative religious sociology, and represents required reading for anyone seeking to understand the relationship between faith, culture, and the market. -- Peter Mandaville, George Mason University and author of 'Global Political Islam'Firmly rooted in the uncompromisingly laique tradition of French sociology, Roy serves his sweet and sour soup of secularism, a peculiar melange of empirical history and normative history, in the chalice of postmodernity, proclaiming globalization as the only universal faith of our times. * The Muslim World Book Review *'Holy Ignorance' offers an impressive insight and a significant contribution to the field of religious sociology by addressing the second scheme of secularization that will have an enduring influence on the global discourse regarding the issue of the role of religion in our modern world. -- Abdullahi A. Gallab, Sociology of ReligionAn intriguing thesis slithers through this impressively profuse and promiscuous garden of sociohistorical erudition. Religion is not experiencing a comeback, the renowned scholar of political Islam argues, but a significant transformation brought about by the secularization intended to marginalize and diminish it. -- Michael P. Kramer, Common Knowledge

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Book SynopsisOlivier Roy, world-renowned authority on Islam and politics, finds in the modern disconnection between faith communities and socio-cultural identities a fertile space for fundamentalism to grow. Instead of freeing the world from religion, secularization has encouraged a kind of holy ignorance to take root, an anti-intellectualism that promises immediate, emotional access to the sacred and positions itself in direct opposition to contemporary pagan culture. The secularization of society was supposed to free people from religion, yet individuals are converting en masse to fundamentalist faiths, such as Protestant evangelicalism, Islamic Salafism, and Haredi Judaism. These religions either reconnect adherents to their culture through casual referents, like halal fast food, or maintain their momentum through purification rituals, such as speaking in tongues, a practice that allows believers to utter a language that is entirely their own. Instead of a return to traditional religious worship, we are now witnessing the individualization of faith and the disassociation of faith communities from ethnic and national identities. Roy explores the options now available to powers that hope to integrate or control these groups; and whether marginalization or homogenization will further divide believers from their culture.Trade ReviewOlivier Roy, the outstanding scholar of contemporary religions, has written a book of startling clarity and wisdom. Illuminating trends, issues and movements that had before appeared bizarre or simply antipathetic, he provides us with tools for the comprehension of matters as diverse as coverage of the war on terror to the common individual confusion over one's own beliefs and scepticisms.'-Financial Times 'Holy Ignorance is in a way a synthesis of all Roy's previous work on the sociology of religion. It formulates forcefully the thesis that has been taking shape throughout his previous works: in a globalised world, religion thrives to the extent that it has severed its ties with culture. This de-culturationA" of religions explains their revival, and much of our difficulties in understanding them. - It is certainly an important book that is written in an easy, accessible language fit for a wide audience - Roy's erudition is simply flabbergasting, and it has the merit of making his book very concrete, very vivid.' -- Nicholas Guilhot, New York University 'Roy's central theses about the way religion is going in today's world (a breathtakingly ambitious exercise to be sure) could, and deserve to, resetA" debates about secularization and secularism, and give birth to creative new departures in theory and research.' -- David Lehmann, Cambridge University 'Over the past few years, a number of theories have been offered about the rise of fundamentalism. The brilliant French social scientist Roy proposes the most original - and the most persuasive. Fundamentalism, in his view, is a symptom of, rather than a reaction against, the increasing secularization of society. Whether it takes the form of the Christian right in the United States or Salafist purity in the Muslim world, fundamentalism is not about restoring a more authentic and deeply spiritual religious experience. It is instead a manifestation of holy ignorance, Roy's biting term meant to characterize the worldview of those who, having lost both their theology and their roots, subscribe to ideas as incoherent as they are ultimately futile. The most important thing to know about those urging the restoration of a lost religious authenticity is that they are sustained by the very forces they denounce.'-New York Times 'Above all else, Mr. Roy is able to show us vividly how much has changed with the secularization that Weber predicted-how formerly Christian societies have lost a sense of their own religious foundation... By transforming itself into another instrument of therapeuticA" satisfaction, Mr. Roy observes, religion risks losing its soul.'-Wall Street Journal 'an erudite account of intricate relationships between religion and other markers of identity, including nationality, socially defined race, language, class, political ideology, generation, gender and sexual orientation.' TLS

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Book Synopsis2014 is WAF's 25th anniversary year, and this book maps the development of the organisation over the past 25 years, through the life stories and political reflections of some of its members. It focuses on the ways in which lived contradictions have been reflected in their politics. Their stories describe the pathways that led them to WAF, and the role WAF has played in their lives and in the different forms of politicial activism in which they have engaged. Discussing feminist activism from a wide variety of different ethnic and religious backgrounds, contributors highlight the complex relationships of belonging that are at the heart of contemporary social life - including the problems of exclusionary political projects of belonging. They also explore the ways in which anti-fundamentalism relates to broader feminist, anti-racist and other emancipatory political ideologies and movements. The personal stories at the centre of this book are those of women whose lives enact the complexities of multiple (if shifting and contingent) mutually constitutive axes of power and difference. Much of their concerns therefore relate to crossing the boundaries of collectivity and practising a 'dialogical transversal politics' that has developed as an alternative to identity politics.Trade ReviewThis timely book should inspire younger generations of activists to pick up the torch, to lead simultaneously anti-racist and anti-fundamentalist feminist politics. With the xenophobic far right rising and communalism turning beliefs and cultures into identity politics' weapons, women's rights, citizenship and secular traditions are at stake. The spirit of WAF, its rare political clarity, its true internationalism, are more than ever needed. Marieme Helie Lucas, founder of Women Living Under Muslim Laws The powerful analyses and reflections of diverse women in the UK fighting authoritarian religious movements are documented here in all their brilliance and honesty. This is a resource in the best sense: of the refusal to submit, the courage to challenge, the strength to reflect critically. In a turbulent and complex period global - religious atrocities, military invasions, and a brutal war against the dignity and personhood of women - this book shows us that we can and must face many ways at once if progressive global politics is to have a future. Professor Chetan Bhatt, London School of Economics and Political Science There is much to learn from, and much to celebrate, in these pages: a feminist, anti-racist politics which supports religious freedom and expression but which challenges fundamentalism in all its forms, combined with compelling testaments to the intermingling of the personal and the political in private and public life. As individual accounts and as the documentation of an important social movement, these inspiring political narratives provide insight into one of the most complex and persistent challenges of our time. Molly Andrews, Professor of Political Psychology and Co-Director, Centre for Narrative Research, University of East LondonTable of ContentsIntroduction Sukhwant Dhaliwal & Nira Yuval-Davis 1. Pragna Patel Flying by the nets of racism, patriarchy and religion 2. Clara Connolly Confessions of an Anti-Clerical Feminist 3. Gita Sahgal Knowing My Place - The Secular Tradition and Universal Values 4. Ruth Pearson Linking the local with the global: the legacy of migrant grandparents 5. Taranum Maan Gods and Daughters Shakila 6. Nira Yuval-Davis Intersectional Contestations 7. Hannana Siddiqui My Life as an Activist 8. Julia Bard Learning to Question 9. Georgie Wemyss Activist Listening 10. Nadje Al-Ali From Germany to Iraq via WAF: A Political Journey 11. Sukhwant Dhaliwal Made in 'Little India' 12. Cassandra Balchin Making myself through difference 13. Rashmi Varma Telling Lives 14. Sue O'Sullivan Change, Chance, and Contradictions 15. Eva Turner One of My CVs 16. Jane Lane No clear pathway, just a lifelong zigzag 17. Ritu Mahendru Sexual and Gender Based Violence Against Women 18. Natalie Bennett Anti-fundamentalist feminism and green politics 19. Judy Greenway The Spirit of Resistance: Helen Lowe 1944-2011

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Book SynopsisWhile the themes of radicalization and Islamophobia have been broadly addressed by academia, to date there has been little investigation of the crosspollination between the two. Is Islamophobia a significant catalyst or influence on radicalization and recruitment? How do radicalization and Islamophobia interact, operate, feed one another, and ultimately pull societies toward polar extremes in domestic and foreign policy? The wide-ranging and global contributions collected here explore these questions through perspectives grounded in sociology, political theory, psychology, and religion. The volume provides an urgently needed and timely examination of the root causes of both radicalization and Islamophobia; the cultural construction and consumption of radical and Islamophobic discourses; the local and global contexts that fertilize these extreme stances; and, finally, the everyday Muslim in the shadow of these opposing but equally vociferous forces.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Theoretical Discussion and Empirical Findings Part I: Co-radicalization 1. Ironies of scapegoating: From Islamophobia to Radicalization (Michael Welch) 2. Religious Extremism and Islamophobia: A Problem of Reactive Co-radicalization? (Douglas Pratt) 3. How Islamophobes are Reproduced and Radicals Responded to the Halal Debate in Australia: Let’s Feed Radicals with the Halal (Derya Iner) Part II: The Crosspollination of Radicalization and Islamophobia: Local and Global Factors 4. Can Islamophobia in the Media Serve the Islamic State Propaganda? The Australian Case, 2014-2015 (Nahid Kabir) 5. Morocconization of Dutch Islamophobia and the Increase of Radicalism among the Moroccan Dutch (Sam Cherribi) 6. Radicalization and Islamophobia as a Global Management Failure in Syria (Radwan Ziadeh) Part III: Countering Terrorism with Islamophobia 7. How Counterterrorism Radicalizes: Exploring the Nexus between Counterterrorism and Radicalization (Haroro Ingram and Kriloi Ingram) 8. Deepening Divides? Implementing Britain’s “Prevent” Counterterrorism Program (Paul Thomas) 9. When the ‘Right Thing to Do’ Feels So Wrong: Australian-Muslim Perspectives on ‘Intimates’ Reporting to Authorities about Violent Extremism (Michelle Grossman) Part IV: The Products of Radicalization and Islamophobia 10. Historically Reproduced Muslim as a “Subject” of Islamophobia and Radicalization (Katy Naban) 11. Muslim: Islamophobic and radical discourse: A Driving Force for Muslim Active Citizenship (Mario Peucker) 12. Activist Muslims and the Hizmet Movement: Can Islamophobia and Islamic Extremism be Addressed at the Same Time? (Ihsan Yilmaz and Ismail Sezgin)

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Book SynopsisThe multidisciplinary anthology Religious Fundamentalism in the Age of Pandemic provides deep insights concerning the current impact of Covid-19 on various religious groups and believers around the world. Based on contributions of well-known scholars in the field of Religious Fundamentalism, the contributors offer about a window into the origins of religious fundamentalism and the development of these movements as well as the creation of the category itself. Further recommendations regarding specific (fundamentalist) religious groups and actors and their possible development within Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism round up the discussion about the rise of Religious Fundamentalism in the Age of Pandemic.Trade Review"I recommend this anthology as a guideline for both science and practice in order to strengthen ourunderstanding of religious perceptions of contagion, fear, debt, and faith that are responsible for theinteraction between certain religious groups and their environment during a pandemic." János Besenyo, Terrorism and Politcial Violence, 33/5 (2021)"The volume should be useful for both academics and P/CVE practitioners who arengaged with radicalization and religious extremism." Ahmet S. Yayla/Serkan Tasgin, Perspectives on Terrorism, 15/6 (2021)

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Book SynopsisRecent studies of Indonesian Islam have pointed to the growing prominence of ‘conservative’ and globally expansive Islamic doctrines. Salafism is one such doctrine, and it has gained increasing popularity in Indonesia over the past several decades. Aiming to propagate a ‘literalist’ interpretation of Islam, Salafi activists argue that many local Islamic traditions, histories and cultures are unIslamic. This has led to significant controversy, and accusations by many Indonesians that Salafism is foreign to country, an intolerant religion, and should have no part in the religious life of the nation. This book offers an ethnographic study of this often misunderstood and controversial movement. It explains why Salafism is growing in numbers, especially amongst young people, and how Salafi activists promote their faith within the wider public. It explores the range of propagational activities and products Salafis use in their public outreach, including literature, mosque sermons, social media ventures, and even fashion, and describes how these activities are tailored to a young Indonesian audience. Salafis may have global roots, but as this book outlines, its success in Indonesia is best understood as an intrinsically local phenomenon entangled within Indonesian ideas of Islamic praxis, consumerism, modernity, political action and citizenship. Salafi activists do not see themselves as foreign religious agents or detached from Indonesian life, but increasingly as part of a religiously conservative moral vanguard. Salafism is, consequently, part of the broader re-orientation of social, cultural and political life we are seeing in contemporary Indonesia.Trade Review‘Chris Chaplin’s carefully argued and sophisticated analysis of Salafism in Indonesia not only shows its appeal as a mix of social movement and individualizing force; it leverages rich ethnographic detail to reveal Salafism’s internal tensions and paradoxes as a defining trait, a necessary condition for the movement’s growth as it continues to inspire an increasingly conservative and politicized religious landscape. Relevant well beyond the Indonesian context, this book is an important contribution to the study of Islam. It will be widely read.’ (Dr David Kloos, KITLV - Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies)

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Book SynopsisRecent studies of Indonesian Islam have pointed to the growing prominence of ‘conservative’ and globally expansive Islamic doctrines. Salafism is one such doctrine, and it has gained increasing popularity in Indonesia over the past several decades. Aiming to propagate a ‘literalist’ interpretation of Islam, Salafi activists argue that many local Islamic traditions, histories and cultures are unIslamic. This has led to significant controversy, and accusations by many Indonesians that Salafism is foreign to country, an intolerant religion, and should have no part in the religious life of the nation. This book offers an ethnographic study of this often misunderstood and controversial movement. It explains why Salafism is growing in numbers, especially amongst young people, and how Salafi activists promote their faith within the wider public. It explores the range of propagational activities and products Salafis use in their public outreach, including literature, mosque sermons, social media ventures, and even fashion, and describes how these activities are tailored to a young Indonesian audience. Salafis may have global roots, but as this book outlines, its success in Indonesia is best understood as an intrinsically local phenomenon entangled within Indonesian ideas of Islamic praxis, consumerism, modernity, political action and citizenship. Salafi activists do not see themselves as foreign religious agents or detached from Indonesian life, but increasingly as part of a religiously conservative moral vanguard. Salafism is, consequently, part of the broader re-orientation of social, cultural and political life we are seeing in contemporary Indonesia.Trade Review‘Chris Chaplin’s carefully argued and sophisticated analysis of Salafism in Indonesia not only shows its appeal as a mix of social movement and individualizing force; it leverages rich ethnographic detail to reveal Salafism’s internal tensions and paradoxes as a defining trait, a necessary condition for the movement’s growth as it continues to inspire an increasingly conservative and politicized religious landscape. Relevant well beyond the Indonesian context, this book is an important contribution to the study of Islam. It will be widely read.’ (Dr David Kloos, KITLV - Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies)

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Book SynopsisReligious extremism among students in major campuses in Indonesia remains a problem for the Indonesian government, campus authorities and moderate Muslims.A substantial number of studies on Islam and religious extremism in Indonesia have focused on security and cultural paradigms. In contrast, this article discusses the factors that cause the rise of religious extremism among university students through an organizational and institutional lens.The dissemination and internalization of religious extremist narratives contribute to the rise of religious extremism among university students in Indonesia.Counter-extremism policies by the government and campus authorities have not been effective due to the absence of an integrative approach. All stakeholders—the government, campus authorities, parents of university students, communities and student organizations—need to establish a concerted and integrative effort to uproot religious extremism from among university students.

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