Disapproving of the western world’s belief that there is growing Islamic terrorism in the world, noted scholar of Islamic studies Prof Bruce Bennett Lawrence has said ‘Islamic terrorism’ or ‘Islamic fundamentalism’ is non-existent.
Lawrence, who authored a book on Osama bin Laden and has been studying Islam for more than 50 years, said the term ‘Islamic fundamentalism’ came into existence after religion mixed with politics in the last 75 years.
Talking with reporters at the US consulate-general here on Thursday, Lawrence ascertained that the right term to address the issue would be ‘Islamism’.
The scholar, who was on the international advisory board for the Oxford Centre of Islamic Studies, said that Islam got radicalised over the years as it became a ‘political project’.
Comparing Hindutva with it, he said, “Hindutva also practices that religion and politics are the same. “
Lawrence researched both Hinduism and Islam as a part of his thesis for his doctorate which he obtained from the Yale University in 1972. “Fundamentalism does not fit both Islam and Hinduism,” he remarked.
