Al Qaeda, fundamentalism and modernity

This paper seeks to challenge two primary views that have been advanced in the wake of September 11 concerning the relationship between Al Qaeda, or militant Islamic fundamentalism more generally, and modernity. These are the views of John Gray and Tariq Ali. John Gray identifies Al Qaeda and Islamic fundamentalism with modernity and even sees Al Qaeda as a product of modernity. Conversely, Tariq Ali, far from identifying Al Qaeda with modernity, identifies the United States' imperial project with fundamentalism and refers to the confrontation between this project and Islamic fundamentalism as a "clash of fundamentalisms". In seeking to challenge these views, the paper distinguishes fundamentalism from modernity in the most foundational terms and argues that the "logic" characteristic of each is intrinsically at odds.