In the USA or anywhere else fundamentalist religion thrives only under poverty and hopelessness.

Oh yes? I'll have to tell that to the doctors and lawyers and accountants who belong to the several fundamentalist churches around here. Their bankers will have to reevaluate the risk presented by the mortgages on their half-million-dollar houses.

I'll leave it to you to break the news of his poverty and hopelessness to the Attorney General, who will doubtless identify himself as one of the "poor in spirit".

You confuse fundamentalism with terrorism. Poverty and hopelessness does indeed feed the latter. You can be rich and hopeful, and still be rigid and literalist.

Regards--
Mary Anne