The Concept of Fundamentalism

Professor Parekh acknowledges that many in the West, feeling threatened by the rise of fundamentalist movements, dismiss them as irrational and atavistic.

He insists, though, that we analyse them rationally and brings rigour and clarity to the discussion of the concept of religious fundamentalism and cautions against the unrestricted use of this concept to describe a wide range of contemporary religious phenomena.

He argues that lumping fundamentalism together with religious conservatism, revivalism and ultra-orthdoxy fails to distinguish its particular modern character. Bhikhu Parekh was educated at the Universities of Bombay and London.

He is a member of the UK House of Lords and was chair of the Runnymede Commission on the Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain.