The Impact Of Islamic Radicalism On The Middle East

One of the most pressing issues in modern geopolitics is the rise of a radical and violent terrorist sect in the Middle East. Most prominently associated with Al Qaeda during the early half of the 21st century and as of 2015 it’s even more extreme splinter group The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. While many in the West are shocked by the violent motivations and anti-Western philosophy of these movements the truth is that Islamic Radicalism has roots that stretch far back through the fog of history to the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of European economic, social, and military might in the region. With the partitioning of the old Ottoman territories after World War I and subsequent occupation by Western European colonial powers, the historical strategy of colonization came into play; place a foreign-backed minority-led government into power to serve as a puppet regime acting for the benefit of the controlling foreign interest. This socially unsustainable colonial st rategy placed the majority of many countries, including Egypt and Syria, into conflict with the empowered minority. Other more homogeneous countries, such as Iraq and Iran, discontent to live under the oppressive de-facto rule of a foreign power, grew embittered towards their colonial patrons and puppet dictatorships and turned towards the perceived purity and social benefits of embracing political movements based in Islam and Pan-Arabism. Prior to the First World War the Ottoman Empire, sitting atShow MoreRelatedIslamic Fundamentalism5541 Words   |  23 PagesIslamic Fundamentalism Contest Introduction I. Islam as a Religion II. Islamic Fundamentalism 3.1. Defining Fundamentalism and the Backgrounds of Islamic Fundamentalism 3.2. Islamic fundamentalist movements Conclusion Bibliography Introduction Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and is second only to Christianity in number of adherents. 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