John Gray, professor of [European] Thought, thinks that fundamentalism is stirred up through the clash of cultures enabled by modern technology (like blogs). "In some parts of the world, globalization has worked to strengthen fundamentalism and the revulsion against Western values and Western-oriented governments... fundamentalism is a morbid feature of modernizing societies." (source article quotes not clear). Also: "Fundamentalism is an urban phenomenon that depends on literacy and uses new technology".

Although Gray's talk is new, a little research shows that Professor Anthony Giddens has published a truly excellent article on this previously (see particularly end of article). In fact, Giddens presciently rebutts Gray's concern that fundamentalism is a reaction to Western culture -- Giddens says "Nor is fundamentalism primarily about the resistance of more traditional cultures to Westernisation - a rejection of Western decadence. Fundamentalism can develop on the soil of traditions of all sorts."