ABSTRACT
In the wake of 9/11 there seem diminishing prospects for the development of understanding between the Muslim world and the West. Try as moderates on both sides have done to deny the existence of irreconcilable differences, far less a ‘clash of civilizations’, to a considerable extent extremist attitudes have dictated the way the relationship has developed. Events since 9/11 have provided continuous fuel for animosity and mistrust, from the invasion of Iraq, the terrorist attacks across the globe, involving the almost routine use of suicide bombings by jihadists, and the continuing and worsening conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Even Muslims who reject terrorism out of hand have been influenced by the sight of the West attacking Muslim countries. At a day to day level, in Western societies with substantial Muslim populations, aggravations have surfaced over religious customs and behaviour, including the wearing of the full-face veil by women and the role of faith-based education, producing a general sense that Muslims and the host societies are becoming increasingly separate and at odds with each other. A survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project published in the summer of 2006 concluded that, despite some variations in detail and occasional hopeful signs,
most Muslims and Westerners are convinced that relations between them are generally bad these days. Many in the
West see Muslims as fanatical, violent and lacking in tolerance. Meanwhile, Muslims in the Middle East and Asia generally see Westerners as selfish, immoral and greedy – as well as violent and fanatical.1
