Fighting against fundamentalism and terrorism is
not only the wrong approach; it is even counterproductive. (For example, it
would aid rather than deter recruitment.) The question we need to be asking
instead is what we can do to take the wind out of their sails.
One of the main factors in the growth of fundamentalism and terrorism is a crisis (either acute or chronic) of meaning in the lives of those who flock to the sense of certainty that fundamentalist belief and some of the ideologies behind terrorism provide. I differentiate fundamentalism from religious beliefs that are conservative but not reactionary. Fundamentalism has always been more about rejecting modern secularist values than it has been an affirmation of anything positive.
If my diagnosis is apt, part of the cure might be to look for ways to enrich secularist culture. Secularism is known mostly in terms of what it is against rather than what it is for. Secularism is clearly an essential ingredient in modern democracies, but if the only thing people ever see is its rejection of the establishment of religion by the government, secularism is only present in a most people's awareness when it is fighting religion.
We sell ourselves short. Embodying the ideals of true secularism is actually a quite lofty goal. Imagine a society that would embrace the idea of people being able to work together toward deeply meaningful common goals in spite of differences that are deep, but not as deep as the human identity that would unite the common effort. I would gladly join forces with holders any religious belief to strengthen and deepen the connection that each of us could have with a larger version of humanity than our separate views can sustain.
