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19 Islam and the West: Challenges and Opportunities 2 ISLAM AND THE WEST Challenges and Opportunities1 Amin Saikal Whilst relations between the West and the world of Islam are today complex and multi-dimensional, with elements of both conflict and co-operation, in general they are very tense. This tension has its roots not so much in religious but in political and politically motivated perceptual differences, the intensity of which has fluctuated according to the political utility of the issues that have occasioned the two sides to expose their differences. Since the horrific attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001, the tension has sharply escalated. On the whole, two opposing views have come to dominate the Western and Islamic approaches to dealing with each other. One is a Western contention, which has resonated more strongly in Washington than in any other Western capital, that the forces of political Islam which have defied American control or influence constitute a brand of Islamic fundamentalism that threatens Western interests and must be combated. Another is a view, which is widespread among not only the political forces of Islam but also moderate Islamists and ordinary Muslims, that the U.S. “cold warrior” realists have deliberately fabricated the notion of an “Islamic threat” for one important purpose — to maintain a Western sense of superiority and hegemony over the Muslim world. Yet amid all this, both sides — more out of necessity than anything else — have found it increasingly important to interlock in a globalized world in 19 Amin Saikal 20 ways that can help them to minimize their political differences and improve relations. This, however, will only happen should the two sides be prepared to let principles of positive dialogue, based on the mutual accommodation of interests rather than those of opportunism and ideological supremacy, prevail in the conduct of their foreign relations. This chapter has three main objectives. The first is to explore some of the features that the West and the Muslim world hold in common, which have helped them to pursue durable paths of peaceful coexistence. The second is to tease out the key factors that underlie the growth of tension in the relations between them in recent times. The third is to make a number of proposals for the easing of that tension. That the relationship between the Muslim world and the largely Christian West has been far from smooth since the advent of Islam in the early seventh century is to state the obvious. This is despite the fact that Islam and Christianity, and for that matter Judaism, share a great deal of beliefs and values. They are the three main monotheistic faiths that not only embrace a common concept of God, but also give equal weight to the sanctity of life as a precious gift from God. They are all rich in fundamental social principles from which strong notions of universal ethics and justice can be drawn, and in relation to which a virtuous life can be lived on earth. These principles can be deployed to promote causes for reconciliation and reasons for coexistence based on a non-competitive and non-combative notion of justice and moral existence. One of the central elements of Christianity (and, for that matter, of Judaism) is “do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God”. Christianity has evolved to stress justice based on the principle that one must not do to others what one does not want done to oneself. This is akin to the Islamic principles, as enshrined in the Qur’an, that strongly emphasize the notion of justice as the closest to that of piety, and the significance of compassion, forgiveness, mercy, and persuasion to a humane existence. Muslims are also guided by the command that they must respect all of God’s apostles and revealed books before Muhammad and the Qur’an, and that they must be respectful to the followers of these religions and provide them with protection under their rule, while affirming that their own religion, prophet, and book are final. Thus, an overwhelming majority of Muslims have historically been respectful towards Christians and Jews. Moreover, as with the other two revealed religions, Islam puts a high premium on the value of life, and in Islam only God as the creator and mover of the universe is empowered to give and take life. The Qur’an states that all Muslims will be rewarded or punished on the Day of Judgement according to their deeds. This...

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