Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy was to work for the wellbeing of all, to awaken the potentiality of all people. Lord Buddha, 2500 years before Gandhi, taught us to extend our loving kindness towards the entire living world, to look at humanity and nature as a whole with a universal perspective without getting trapped into all kinds of sectarian views based on our political, religious or cultural divergences.
Extremist and intolerant attitudes are born of a kind of instability of mind, brought about by a number of causes interacting on the human personality. The Gandhian and Buddhist approaches look at the totality of these causes and factors and try to bring about a transformation at the very root level.
"Fanatical excess is a thing always to be shunned. The middle path is the royal road, "wrote Gandhi (Young India, 21 March 1929). "It is good to die for religion, but for religious fanaticism one must neither live nor die." (Bapu-ke-Ashirvad, Sept 13, 1948) Lord Buddha attained supreme enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya, and realised that neither self-indulgence nor self-mortification would lead towards Truth. He took to the Middle Path between eternalism and annihilationism.
When we discuss fanaticism, it is important that we understand the Middle Path explained both by Mahatma Gandhi and, in greater detail and depth, by Lord Buddha. Fanaticism arises due to a multiplicity of causes, including economic deprivation, political subjugation and religious or cultural intolerance which lead to frustration, violence and even terrorism. When the causes are no more there, there will be no fanaticism.