Religion and Fundamentalism in Politics:

The Cases of Christianity and Islam

Gilbert Achcar

June 9, 2005

I. Religion as Ideology

1. Religious ideologies and historical dynamics

2. Fundamentalism and other political uses of religion

3. Christianity/Islam, Liberation theology/Islamic fundamentalism

II. Modern Islamic Fundamentalism

1. The "Clash of Civilizations"

2. The social fabric of Islamic countries

3. A brief history of Islamic Fundamentalism

III. Marxists and Religion

1. Classical Marxism

2. The various significances of present-day Islamic revival

3. Differentiated tactics for very different cases