"Society must listen to religious fundamentalists if it wants to stagger back from the precipice on which it stands," says author Karen Armstrong, known to many for her radical stance against fundamentalism and for reconciliation between Christians, Muslims and Jews. Armstrong is an expert on Islam and Christianity, and pointed out that violence and terrorism is basically fuelled by fear. "We need to decode what fundamentalists are trying to tell us. They often express fear of things that no society can really ignore. It's not just about religious zealots; only a small percentage of fundamentalists are involved in terrorism. The trick is to prevent the broad mass of fundamentalists being drawn to the most radical group's side. When these movements are attacked, they become even more extreme and hit back, as we see with Al Qaeda. Fundamentalism is not only religiously motivated, but also a spreading rebellion against modern secularism destroying traditional religious life. That is what they are fighting against. They don't want their way of life to become extinct. We need to learn to understand that. We're at the edge of a deep chasm, two groups staring at each other: one group for whom modernity has been a good experience, and one which feels threatened by it."
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