West vs. ISLAM?
Islam and the West: Bridging the Divide
There is no getting
away from it - Islam and the West view one another with mistrust and
suspicion.
Suspicion & mistrust pervade relations between Islam and the
West
|
A historian might say - they always have.
But, if so, their long and turbulent relationship has entered a new phase
over the last 30 years or so.
A series of events - from the worldwide Islamic revival of the 1970s to the 11 September 2001 attacks against America - fuelled the fear that Islam and the West are on a collision course.
But, are they really - "Worlds apart"?
NOTE: Keep in mind, most Muslims living in so-called "Islamic" states, do not really enjoy the true state of Islam referred to in Quranic texts, nor do they have the freedom of speech and open media we take for granted every day (like this article you are reading right now).
For the most part, the vast majority of Muslims live under heavily occupied conditions being represented to the west as "Islamic State" when in fact, it is military occupation with dictatorship governments left in place by western occupation.
Many in the West associate Islam with violence and extremism. Militant Islamic groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah are constantly in the news.
The most famous of them, al-Qaeda and its leader Osama Bin Laden, are the main suspects in the 11 September attacks and a string of others - in Bali and Mombasa and, more recently, in Casablanca, Riyadh and Jakarta.
In addition, Islam is seen as hostile to democracy, women, gays and other religions.
Each side has a shopping-list of grievances. So, we asked you to tell us your position: (read what they say..)
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