Religious Extremism on the Rise

The Toronto Star
www.thestar.com
Jan. 2, 2005. 01:00 AM

Religious extremism is back
Moral ground is shifting at record speed
Followers are motivated by fear, expert says
by Oliva Ward, FEATURE WRITER

"In Britain, a popular play is closed down when Sikhs attack a Birmingham theatre that features a scene of violence in a temple. In the Netherlands, an activist filmmaker is shot and stabbed to death after producing a documentary on the abuse of Muslim women.
Meanwhile, an American president calls his anti-terrorism campaign a "crusade," and declares that "God wants people to be free." And Israeli settlers insist that leaving their land goes against a God-given right.

"Religious extremism, once believed a dying phenomenon, is back with a vengeance, symbolized by the shattered and blackened World Trade Centre towers. Videotaped threats by religiously focused militants are as commonplace as they are chilling to millions throughout the world."

Go to Star site for rest of the long article. www.thestar.com