Islamic Fundamentalism, Jihad, and Terrorism

This paper is on the relation between jihad and terrorism in the Islamic fundamentalism. Since September 11th, the nation’s press, too, has made exclusive coverage of the attack and we have become more familiar with many relevant terms, one of which is Islamic fundamentalism. Radical Islamic fun-damentalism is inherently militant in nature and poses a threat to the new world order that emphasizes democratic values, particularly after the establishment of the Afghan Taliban. Some Western observers, including policy makers, regard Islamic fundamentalism as a more dangerous ideology and political movement than communism after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Radical Islamic fundamentalist groups launched a fierce war against established authority through ter-rorist means such as kidnapping, assassination, and bombing. They not only attacked government offi-cials and buildings, but also kidnapped and assassinated foreign travelers, journalists, and diplomats. Many Western politicians and scholars regard Islamic fundamentalism as a new global threat. The war between communism and the West has been replaced by a new war between the West and Islamic fun-damentalists. The concept of jihad has contemporary relevance as a defensive principle working for human free