CNN Presents: God’s Warriors

It is hardly a secret that religious fundamentalism has become a major political force throughout the world. Too often, however, any real knowledge of the phenomenon ends when that simple statement has been made. To fully understand the implications of the rise and spread of fundamentalism it is necessary to explore history, to seek connections, to recognize variations and to be involved with the individuals and circumstances that expand a reductive definition. These are the strategies applied by Christiane Amanpour and the teams that produced God’s Warriors. “There are millions of people around the world who feel that their faith is being ignored—pushed aside—and they are certain they know how to make the world right,” Amanpour says. “We cannot and should not ignore them. And, with this report, we’ve tried to explain them.” To remedy this oversight, she travels throughout Israel, the West Bank, Egypt, Iran, the United States, the United Kingdom and other regions. She interviews activists and politicians, scholars of religion and practitioners. For producing the most thorough exploration of religious fundamentalism and its implications presented to date on television, CNN Presents: God’s Warriors receives a Peabody Award.