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I SLAMISM & F UNDAMENTALISM IN THE M ODERN W ORLD

Muhammad in the seventh century, and for hundreds of years this belief buttressed a great Islamic civilization that extended its power through the Middle East and into Asia, Africa, and Europe. But the rise of European power and the era of Western colonial- ism in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries eroded Islamic institu- tions and the long tradition of cultural and intellectual unity among Muslims, leading to a sense of powerlessness and loss. In this new context, Muslims adapted differing viewpoints on the role of Islam in political and social life. During the colonial period, Muslims developed a range of responses to Western expansion. Muslim reformers argued that Muslims should not simply accept or reject Western ideals, but should reinterpret traditional Islamic institutions and law in order to adapt to the contemporary situation. These Muslims were known broadly as Islamic modernists. Other thinkers and activists argued that the only path to survival and prosperity in the modern era was to fully Westernize, to adopt secular modes of government and public life. Others began to call for a return to the roots of the Islamic faith as a way to recover a sense of identity and reclaim power for Muslim societies. They said that the only way to revital- ize Muslim societies was to reestablish religious legal authority in every sphere of life. These Muslims have been widely referred to as Islamic fundamentalists, and their response to the pressures of modernity gained momentum during the 20th century. In response to the decline of Islamic political and cultural power, fundamentalists blame Muslims themselves for straying from the straight path of Islam. They also say secular political and

colonialism— a system in which one country creates an empire by taking over other lands and creat- ing colonies that provide resources and money to the mother country. secular— attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis. Words to Understand in This Chapter