Christian Fundamentalism in Africa: A Study of the Political Influence of Select Movements

Terrorism is not tethered to any singular faith; it is a trans-historical phenomenon spanning diverse beliefs. Radical violence encompasses not only physical destruction but also systemic exclusion and racial discrimination. Thus, the designation "terrorist" applies to any entity employing violence to enforce its ideology while exploiting religion for legitimacy. Although fundamentalist violence exists across Christian and Jewish contexts, Western discourse has conflated it exclusively with Islamist movements, merging "Muslim" with "terrorist." Utilizing a comparative methodology, this paper deconstructs this bias by examining Christian fundamentalism—particularly Western Protestant traditions—and its violent manifestations in Africa: 1) Genesis of Christian Fundamentalism; 2) Afrikaner Broederbond (South Africa); 3) Lord's Resistance Army (Uganda); 4) Anti-Balaka (CAR). Key Terms: Religious Fundamentalism, Symbolic Violence, Comparative Terrorism, African Geopolitics.