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Salafism, often referred to as ‘Wahhabism’, is widely regarded as a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam that fuels Jihadism and subjugates women. Some even lump ISIS and Salafism together—casting suspicion upon the thousands of Muslims who identify as Salafi in the West. After gaining unprecedented access to Salafi women’s groups in London, I discovered the realities behind the myths.

The post 6 common misconceptions about Salafi Muslims in the West appeared first on OUPblog.

Religious belief has been allied, for centuries, with fundamentalism and intolerance. It’s possible to have one without the other, but it requires a degree of self-criticism that is not easily acquired. When Calvin endorsed the execution of Michael Servetus in 1553, he justified his decision by appeal to the certainty of his own religious faith.

The post Religious belief, fundamentalism, and intolerance appeared first on OUPblog.

One of the best writers I know -- who also happens to be a dear friend -- has a new novel out. I just ordered copies from amazon.com and you can too. (The link is over there on the right.) If you know other fiction lovers who are appalled by the influence of Christian fundamentalism creeping into government, please pass the word along about this novel. I think people will also find it a good read even if they aren't interested in religion or politics. At least go take a look at the gorgeous cover!

The Fundamentalist Mindset sheds light on the psychology of fundamentalism, with a particular focus on those who become extremists and fanatics.  The collection is edited by Charles B. Strozier, a Professor of History at John Jay College, CUNY, and a practicing psychoanalyst, David M. Terman, Director of the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, James W. Jones, a Professor of Religion and adjunct Professor of Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University and Katharine A. Boyd a doctoral student at John Jay College, CUNY.  In the excerpt below, taken from an essay entitled “The Social Psychology of Humiliation and Revenge: The Origins of the Fundamentalist Mindset” by Bettina Muenster and David Lotto, we learn about what drove one young man to extremism.

In April 2007, on a seemingly normal day for college students at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, a young man of Asian descent, Cho Seung-Hui, decided to kill as many people on campus as he could.  He was determined, fully prepared, and utterly devoid of doubt about the moral implications of his actions.  In fact the slaughter was so calculated that the twenty-three-year-old scheduled time to videotape himself for forty-five minutes in a van outside the shooting range when he practiced there a month before the shootings.  After killing two students on the early morning of April 19 he returned to his room to access some photo files, then decided to walk to the local post office to overnight a rather comprehensive package of videos, photographs, and statements to the NBC news network.  About two and half hours later he resumed his rampage.  In four classrooms he killed another twenty-five students and five teachers, firing 175 rounds of ammunition.

The costs of the murders to Cho were high: he spent thousands of dollars, according to the New York Times, and sacrificed much of his time and finally his own life.  But to him it was all worth it.  Consumed by rage over the way society treated him and evidently feeling like an outsider who did not get the respect he deserved, he chose solitude and seemed invisible for most of his life.  In fact he had no social bonds whatsoever-no friends, no girlfriend, or close connection with relatives.  The statements he sent to the media and the world are particularly disturbing:

I didn’t have to do this.  I could have left.  I could have fled.  But no, I will no longer run….You have vandalized my heart, raped my soul, and torched my conscience….You had a hundred billion chances and ways to have avoided today.  But you decided to spill my blood.  You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option.  The decision was yours.  Now you have blood on your hands that will never wash off.

How can someone who callously killed thirty-two innocent people claim that others are at fault?  In terms of blame attribution, Cho’s rationalization of his actions sounds exactly like that of the terrorist Osama bin Laden, who justified the September 11 killing of some three thousand civilians by arguing that he felt similarly cornered: “The Western regimes and the government of the United States of America bear the blame for what might happen.”  Recent studies on school shootings reveal some astonishingly common characteristics: excerpt for one of fifteen investigated, all shooters were male; a majority experienced chronic or

We have an exciting lineup of guest authors this week on Book Bites for Kids, our LIVE radio show at blogtalkradio.com.

Monday, our guest will be YA novelist, Anne Gray, author of Rites of the Healer.

Sumach Press (Gray’s publisher) says, “Anne Gray creates a fascinating alternative world where the descendants of interplanetary colonists have built their society in a rich fusion of advanced technologies and ancient traditional ways of life. Sixteen-year-old Dovella is an engineering apprentice of great potential and talent, though her true vocation is for healing, for which she has a rare and extraordinary Gift. In four days, she is to go through the most important ceremony of her life, the Rites of the Healer, to join the ranks of the Healer’s Guild.”

On Tuesday’s show our guest will be Sally Rogow, author of They Must Not Be Forgotten (Heroic Priests and Nuns Who Saved People from the Holocaust), and Faces of Courage (Young Heroies of WWII).

On Wednesday, children’s author C.S. Larsen drops by to talk about his books and stories for children.

Stacey Kannenberg, coauthor (with Linda Desimowich) of the Let’s Get Ready series of books for young children and their parents is our guest for Thursday’s show.

On Friday, we’ll be talking with children’s author Rita Milios.

Listen to Book Bites for Kids LIVE every weekday afternoon at 2:00 (CST) or call in and ask questions or make comments by dialing 1-646-716-9239.