TRAGEDY OF RELIGIOUS RADICALISM AND THE THREAT TO MODERN CULTURE AND CIVILISATION

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine the threat posed by religious radicalism, particularly radical Islam, to global culture and civilization, and to propose pathways for confronting this menace. Through analytical method, this study investigates the ideological foundations of religious fanaticism and its devastating impact on democratic institutions, cultural heritage, and modern secular values. The scope encompasses conceptual analyses of religion, culture, and civilization; historical instances of religious fanaticism in Christianity including the Inquisition and persecution of scientists; the distinctive character of contemporary Islamic radicalism as a global assault on modernity; systematic destruction of educational institutions and cultural treasures across Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, and Afghanistan; and critical evaluation of proposed responses ranging from military coalition to cultural counterbalancing. The appraisal reveals that while religious fanaticism is not exclusive to Islam, radical Islam constitutes a unique and persistent threat targeting not merely Western societies but the universal values of modernity; reason, science, individual freedom, and secular governance seeking to obliterate cultural memory and historical identity through deliberate destruction of monuments, manuscripts, and educational systems. The paper concludes that the free world must unite with resolute determination to protect the hard-earned fruits of civilisation, resisting both the paralysis of political correctness and the temptation of reciprocal religious extremism, for the survival of democracy, cultural heritage, and human freedom hangs in the balance.