ABSTRACT
Having introduced Muslims historically and in relation to their main protagonists, let us look at the major encounters between Islam and the West. By doing so we provide an overview which throws light on the present mutual antipathy that exists between the two. We will also examine the continuing colonial legacy, cultural and political, of Europe and its impact on Muslims. I will focus on South Asia, for it is here that one of the most remarkable and interesting encounters between Europe and Asia, Christianity and Islam, took place. This will also explain some of the existing contradictions in Muslim society which were created during the formation of modernism in these societies.
