I would be interested to know what the definition of a fundamentalist Christian is in the eyes of the godless. Any form of Christianity that denies the sinful nature of man, God's love in sending His Son, the Resurrection of Christ and future judgement for those who reject such love is not worth a piece of toilet paper. It seems to me that the greatest increase of late in fundamentalism has been humanism. This is shown how many have blindly swallowed the evolution myth as true science, have an outward form of morality but inwardly are corrupt (like many of the heroes of humanism) and a new environmental religion is preached by their prophets. It is easy to see with this new hard line hypocritical humanistic dogma and rubbish that many become disillusioned with such hypocrisy and in turn join terrorist groups. Interesting that many of the terrorist have trained as doctors, engineers etc. They obviously know half the crap fed to them at uni is just that. Unfortunately they become self righteous like many of the fundamentalist humanist. They become blinded by the dogma of Islam just like many of our academics are blinded by humanism

A few comments re Indonesia i.m.o:

1. Under the religion you have the traditional practices, and under the traditional practices you have the controllers and their vested political and economic interests.

2. My BeLoved was there during the "Banyuwangi Massacres" of '98. I have been and spent time with these people, and got on the p!ss regularly with 1 who claims to have done an alleged "Black Magic" pracitioner or 2 HimSelf.

(yang "ronda" jalan untuk penduduk/saudara)
(one who patrols the road for the neighbours and family)

3. The Munchkin folk tell stories of many "disturbing, dark and violent" things.

4. There are more variables at play than immediately meets the eyes Poppets.

A good article I tried to find for you appears to have gone, but here, a snippet from one newspaper:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/masked-ninjas-blamed-for-wave-of-killings-in-java-1177992.html

" ... But who? Since May, when President Suharto was forced from power, Indonesia has been in political turmoil, with ancient rivalries and feuds - suppressed during 30 years of dictatorship - rising to the surface. Some suspect that former members of the Indonesian Communist Party, massacred during the 1960s, are using the ninja rumours to take their belated revenge against the Islamic establishment. Others believe it is directed against NU which has recently set up its own political party in opposition to the new President, BJ Habibie.

Whoever is responsible, they have achieved something remarkable: the transformation of a modern town into a state of medieval superstition and terror. ... "

..

The people are, were and still are very superstitious.
My "friend" is NU.

The above snippet appears to have a general idea, but the facts in my experience are considerably scrambled.

..

The reach of the Masjid speaker appears to travel far and fast. When Gaza was invaded, it appeared that more than just a few stood up and asked, "Shall we go and fight the Yahudis *S.B.Y.!?"

Islam appears to have a very large, extended family.

Whilst I am no expert and have but limited experience, it appears to me that be it the Indonesian Hindus, Muslims or even the Christians for that matter, they are all indoctrinated from birth, as an alleged matter of socio/cultural/family and economic security to

BELIEVE without question

AND
that there is certain things which MUST be done

AND

certain things which MUST NOT.

..

So, I ask you, would you wrestle with the body, of those brought up on the DOCTRINE of an eye for an eye

(and in that regard the opponents likely reckon that they have a lot of catch up to do)

or would you remove the Head of the Snake?

..

Is it true that hate is openly preached in those places where they think "we" cannot hear?

..

Or do we need to think outside the square and come up with different strategies all together to attempt to circuit break an intractable situation?

Foxy;
I don't think there is a rational answer to your question.
Viewed after the reports of the suicide bombing of a volley ball match
in Pakistan where they killed 88 plus those not yet recovered, who
would mostly have been Moslems, I am pressed to the following
conclusion;
It is racial mental retardation, probably caused by a high level of
cousin marriage.
It does explain what seems to most as irrational behaviour and an
inability to foresee repercussions. A typical symptom.

This won't be a popular conclusion but realism seldom is.

Dear Yabby,

You might want to google
Islamic fundamentalism in Kashmir.
It could be of some interest.

Also, Thomas L. Friedman in his
book, "Hot, Flat, and Crowded,"
points out that:

"The rise of the more fundamentalist strain of Islam
in the past two decades is by no means entirely
attributable to Saudi money ... A broader backlash
against globalization and Westernization is also
at work in the Muslim world, as well as a rejection
of all the previous failed ideologies -
Arab nationalism, Arab socialism, and Communism - by
a new generation of Muslim youth...
Nearly two-thirds of the Middle East's population is
under the age of twenty-five and more than one in
four are unemployed. Many of these frustrated,
unemployed youth are finding succor in faith."

Hermie the germie,

You really should stop with the rash statements, in the last 24 hours two incidents had Muslims blowing up other Muslims in the name of their brand of Islam?

It's about the same as Waco's Wacko Koresh and his 'Christian'(?) Branch Davidians or the white supremacists and their 'Christianity'(?).

Clearly there are biblical texts that can be 'taken' to (if only in the minds of the extremes) give justification. But in reality religion is only the unifying vector not the cause. The cause is proclaimed as defending their culture (sic), independence(Sic) some......identity/security as a part of an exclusive grouping.

Don't kid yourself, that the USA interferes in other countries to improve the lives of that country's population, they do so solely for their own selfish interests.

Consider the scenario I painted for runner...honestly, how would you react? If you and all those you knew were constantly being dispossessed, denied basic freedoms, are you sure there wouldn't eventually be embittered marters from those families? Lets get real you squeal against the limitations of this a liberal democracy now.
It's time you advanced from your germ's eye view.