ABSTRACT
From the rich historical tradition of Islam, a spectre has ascended to trouble the world. That spirit is defined more specifically as Islamic fundamentalism. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English describes fundamentalism as the ‘strict maintenance of ancient or fundamental doctrines of any religion, especially Islam’. In the twenty-first century, Islam and fundamentalism are perceived by many as the greatest threat to global security since the end of the Cold War. Fundamentalism in its Islamic guise has led to the execution of hundreds in suicide bombing attacks across the world, including the attacks of September 11, 2001 when over 3,000 people perished in the al-Qaeda attacks ordered by Osama Bin Laden.
