Fundamentalism is one of the problems of the modern world, perhaps the main one. It manifests itself as a radical ideology and, at the same time, as an extremist political movement. Born on the model of Western totalitarian parties, it has gradually taken on a religious colouring.

So far, there have been few effective remedies against this danger, So far, there have been few effective remedies against this danger, particularly in the Islamic world, as the many prejudices that weigh on Muslims have prevented an awareness of its real extent and seriousness.

Europe today represents an important frontier in the confrontation between Islam and fundamentalism. The sense of the state and democracy, religious freedom and human rights, the character and organisation of the community, are the terrain on which a decisive clash will take place.

The “moderate” Islamic world first suffered the ideological and military aggression of the radicals, but eventually began to unmask their cultural duplicity, finding new forms of organisation and education for the Islamic community. It began to move against fundamentalism, denouncing its objectives and methods, implementing defence strategies and adapting to the changing conditions of the times.

To focus on the real scope of the problem, we need to clear the field of the prejudices that envelop the Islamic world like a cocoon.

It is a paradoxical situation, because in reality, Islam is talked about a great deal and everywhere, in political debates, in the mass media, on bookshop shelves. Yet the Islamic world continues to remain unknown, as if something were preventing understanding of its essential aspects.

This is mainly due to two opposing mental attitudes, one benevolent and the other hostile. Yet the Islamic world continues to remain unknown, as if something were preventing understanding of its essential aspects. This is mainly due to two opposing mental attitudes, one overly optimistic and the other more decidedly Islamophobic.