Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Islam & the West
In his introduction to the
Concise Encyclopaedia of Islam
, Professor Huston Smith quotes
a
Newsweek
journalist commenting on the 1979 US-Iran crisis: 'We are heading into an ex-
pansion,' ran the article, 'of the American relationship with that complex of religion, cul-
ture and geography known as Islam…no part of the world is more hopelessly and systemat-
ically and stubbornly misunderstood by us.'
These are strong words and they reflect 1000 years of misinformation, mistrust and mis-
representation of the Muslim world by the West and vice versa. But to what extent can the
same comment be made today when each country in the West has a sizable Muslim com-
munity, large proportions of Gulf students attend Western colleges, and expatriate workers
from Peninsula countries return with a different story? The ordinary person in the street is
better informed about alternative cultures than ever before in the history of East-West rela-
tions. So why does the myth-making persist?
Muslim Arabs introduced the concept of zero into European mathematics - without which there would be
no computer age - not to mention other civilising influences such as coffee, paper-making and chess.
Muslims and Christians confronted each other during the Inquisition, the Crusades and
in numerous encounters throughout history. Religious propaganda was used as a way of
helping each side achieve its purpose and the prejudices created persist to this day. Add to
this the behaviour of a small minority who call themselves Muslim but who are not good
ambassadors for the faith, and it would appear that the religion is doomed to be 'hopelessly
and systematically and stubbornly misunderstood' for millennia to come.
On the other hand, if there is one positive outcome of the tensions between Islam and the
West since September 11 it is surely the high-profile dialogue between ordinary people on
what constitutes Islam and how it relates to Western culture. In newspapers and TV pro-
grams in every country of the West, the lexicon of Islam is becoming less alien and needs
less definition. Debates about wearing the hijab (veil) that continue to dominate many me-
dia stories, for example, start with the premise that people are no longer ignorant of the
custom.
Of course the dialogue hasn't always been a comfortable one as the publication of derog-
atory cartoons in Denmark and videos in USA show, nor has the outcome always made
good sense, as with censoring Christian expression in case it causes offence to Muslims.
Nonetheless, slowly but surely, each 'side' is lurching towards a better understanding of the
limits of tolerance expected by the other, and the threatening aspect of the encounter is re-
ceding in the process.
