This is a presentation I did...follows on from Islam 101.:-P
From a post 9/11 perspective, Islam and the West can easily be seen as two distinctive categories for discussion. It is clear that especially through violent radical Islamic attacks portrayed through the media, Islam is now considered a major threat to Western civilization by the majority of the population, and all Muslims now present a potential danger to western ideas of freedom and democracy. However Islam can also be seen now as a severely distorted idea generated by today's mass media and various political environments, although it is one of the largest religions in the world, with more than one billion followers globally. Islam is a religion that is misunderstood by many because of its minority radical Islamic followers who are undoubtedly at the extreme end of the spectrum of the religion. However, while most would see a relationship between Islam and the West as extremely antagonistic, this is not always the case. The rivaling between the two factions has gone on for centuries, but it is undeniably too easy to pass off the relationship between the two opposing ideas as totally antagonistic.
Islam is in fact closely linked to Christianity - which is at large a western religion. While some see Islam and Christianity as two opposing rival factions with extremely different values, this is far from the case. Islam cannot actually be fully described without being linked to Christianity and Islam does actually share some same values as their Christian counterparts. The real main difference between the two religions is the Holy Scriptures. While various different people describing God's miracles write the Bible in Christianity, Islam's scripture the Q'uran is written by Mohammed, who is considered the last prophet of God. The Q'uran is taken literally as the word of God, even though it was all written through Mohammed, and is taken as the main threat from Islam in today's society.
A lot of radical Muslims take literal words from the Q'uran to justify their violent attacks against the West, although they present only a minority of the religion. Islam is now an incredibly divided religion composed of different sects and interpretations of the Q'uran, and it is hard to see just how much of a threat they are to the west without the constant propaganda and misinformation transmitted by power politics. Islam is now transitioning into an unknown territory, where the religion is now undergoing massive change as a result of the present scrutiny on Islam.
It is generally accepted by most people that Christianity is seen as a more peaceful and tolerant religion than Islam is. The September 11 attacks in America reinforced the idea that all Muslims were violent, radical and irrational. The sympathy that flowed out for America in the wake of the attacks also emphasize this present fact - that Islam is now a religion that is shut out by the majority of the west. This is evident through everyday society - with Muslims obviously getting discriminated by because of their religion. The discrimination against Muslims and Islam today is a major issue that has affected the followers of the religion as well as how nations have dealt with security and defense against terrorism.
Terrorism is a word which is now closely associated with Islam radicalism, and it is now a major agenda in today's political world to decrease the amount of violent attacks occurring against the west. In light of all this, it is clear the relationship between the west and Islam is not all that stable. However it is also not extremely antagonistic either. Cooperation would benefit everyone to help stop terrorism and illegal activities by radical Islamists, but it’s clearly not as easy as that. Some see America's use of violence itself as terrorism - and the war in Iraq as means of oppressing Islam. Some also see Islam as compatible with democracy; that the majority of Muslims are not violent, and don't believe in the jihad. It is very hard to attempt to recreate this belief in reality though, as there are strong stereotypes that exist now about Islam.
Since the creation of the two religions, both have had quite antagonistic pasts - the major event being the crusades in the sixth century. The turbulent history of both religions has seemed to carry on into the twentieth century, where both are now as divided as ever. Islam is portrayed as religion for the developing world, and a majority of its followers do live in third world countries. There is now a significant debate on the position of Islam in society today. Western influence has increasingly influenced the rest of the world’s culture, and its weight on Islam has caused considerable areas of conflict. A majority of the radical Islamists attack Western ways because they believe the west is imposing its own values onto Muslim ones. This retaliation against Western values is significant – it only emphasizes the effect to which the West has on other cultures, and its increasing oppression of Islam. Certain Q’uran verses are used often to justify the jihad against Western ideals – one main one including: “"O' you who believe, do not take the Jews and Christians as allies. They are allies of each other, and he amongst you who becomes their ally is one of them. Verily, God does not guide the unjust." It is quotes like these from the Q’uran that are used in a literal way where they act purportedly for God. The interpretation of the Q’uran is one which divides many followers of Islam into separate groups – and whether they believe in the sixth pillar of faith or not. However it is also clear the majority of Muslims are tolerant of Western ideas and values, even in Middle Eastern countries.
Islam and Western ideals have coexisted together for centuries, and while there is now a more realized threat of Islamic intolerance of Western views, these are the minority extremists who misinterpret the original religion of Islam which advocates peace, not violence. Some believe a clash between Islam and the West is inevitable, it being happening for centuries. There is another belief that the world is going to be completely westernized no matter what, and the Muslims are lagging behind. In fact, Lewis claims Muslims would never have gotten independence if they hadn’t learned Western values. There is also the possibility of Islam and the West simultaneously working together and tolerating each other’s views and values. This is not going to be an easy task though, as it is becoming increasingly apparent the strongly antagonistic views against Islam are continued to be broadcasted to the world. It is obvious because of this that there is growing resentment against the West for renouncing Islam and continually blaming it for the massive amounts of violence taking place in the Middle East at the moment. Islam is now in a stage of change, where it is redefining itself in the face of terrorism and religious extremism. While many believe that Islam is a backwards religion, and one which is not relevant to today’s society, it is also a religion which is predominantly followed in much of the world. The apparent need for Islam to be ‘Christianized’ is only becoming too evident through the media, and it is paradoxically through this that peace between the two religions may occur. Time will only tell if the change occurring in Islam will be for the better.