Terrorism Accusation as a Phase in Conflict of Civilizations: A Reading of The Evolution of Islamic Violence in the Western Mind

Throughout all stages relations between Islam and the Christian world has been dominated by specific stereotypes of each other. Historic events have played a clear role in the development of the intellectual perception of the two parties concerning each other. Perhaps the analysis of the West’s relationship with Islam requires a return to history to disassemble the stages of cognitive development of those images of each other to better understand the renewed conflict between the parties. This paper attempts to analyse the charge of terrorism, which has become the preserve of Islam, through its development in the western intellectual context from the earliest relationships between the two worlds. The discussion includes the Crusades, colonialism and orientalism up to present times. Such a discussion was accentuated by the severely strained relationship between Islam and the West following the events of September 11. The study reached the conclusion that the association of violence with Islam in the Western mind can be historically traced back to the earliest relationship between the parties and that any attempt at serious dialogue between civilizations requires an objective return to those historical events and perceptions, which continue to dominate contemporary attitudes.

Source: World Journal of Islamic History and Civilization

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