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So an actual study was conducted in order to identify what critical factors that needs to addressed in order to improve the situation between the muslims and the west. The implicit comparison is assessing the cause of islamophobia.. The study is as follows -

Muslim-West tensions seen as avoidable: Study
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...SHARJAH - In engaging diplomatically and building efforts for collaboration, majority of Muslim and Western society leaders must emphasise resolving political issues rather than religious conflict....
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..From March 2008 to May 2010, Gallup conducted 115,157 interviews across 55 countries or areas, representing the views of more than 1.5 billion people...
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Two critical factors have been identified that can improve the situation

1. Mutual respect
2. Islam’s tolerance

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarti ... heuae&col=

Therefore focus should be on resolving political issues and not religious conflict, Once things are settled then other conflicts can be easily resolved.

Perhaps more academic level studies need to be carried out by sociologists to identify what are the causes of islamophobia in their respective societies.

Although I don't disagree with the two points mentioned but IMO the biggest factor is education. There are so many people on both sides who have no clue about each other other than what they have seen in their respective media's propaganda

Also another thing I strongly believe in is the cruicial role the media plays and also that ot carries a lot of blame in todays situation and its about time they started reversing the damage they have caused and start being the bridge builders instead. As Jon Stewart said "If you amplify everything, you hear nothing"

And to conclude people need to start questioning aswell as educating themselves on certain issues, critical thinking I guess as to what they believe and know. This is happening abiet slowly on both sides

I think Westerners not only respected Islam and Muslims, they were willing to believe whatever Muslims spokesperson in the West were telling them.

We've seen this in the number of talking points dropped on the sly since 9/11.

Everything from Islam meaning peace to Jihad being a primarily interior struggle to poverty causing suicide bombings, everything under the sun has been uncritically parroted by our media.

It's not unfair if Westerners have grown disillusioned over the past 10 years at the sheer volume of hate they've been exposed to from the Muslim world.

It's also true that this isn't a conflict between the Muslim world and the West, but one involving everyone. India or Nigeria are no safer than London or New York. In fact, much less so.

event horizon wrote:It's not unfair if Westerners have grown disillusioned over the past 10 years at the sheer volume of hate they've been exposed to from the Muslim world.

Once again a lop sided argument, look at me, look at me I'm the innocent victim. I'm not going to even get into an argument over " the sheer volume of hate" bit with you, as you thrive in these going round in circle debacles and it would totally pointless as we have seen for a long while with you.

But I will reiterate "And to conclude people need to start questioning aswell as educating themselves on certain issues, critical thinking I guess as to what they believe and know."

And in these past 10 years. The two wars and countless civilian deaths and destruction and occupation of the land by NATO forces. How is that improving the imagine of the west in the region ? You can't be at war with someone and then expect them to bend over for you too.

Just as the recent example when the Israeli govt said we want peace all the while countinuing settlement on stolen land.

This whole issue of tension between the east and west is a door that swings both ways.

*cue FD

Now, I do believe there is a problem with radicalism within the Muslim community. There are indeed those who use religion to justify killing and to preach hate - be it against Shia, Ahmadis, Sunnis or non-Muslims.

There is also a political struggle going on - the Palestinians for example, where for most of the Military Occupation the Palestinians were represented by a secular resistance movement, the PLO. Israel cynically helped set up an 'Islamic' movement to counter the PLO (back when they were the devil incarnate), and now the PLO has morphed into the 'moderate' side of the resistance and the 'Islamists' are presented as primarily an 'Islamic' movement which wants to liberate Occupied territory because of religion.

In reality it has always been about the land, it has always been political.

Indeed, if we look at Hamas' view of the Holocaust - the Minister of Information says it clearly in the headline:

We are not engaged in a religious conflict with Jews; this is a political struggle to free ourselves from occupation and oppression

However, this reality is not convenient for the likes of Islamophobic bloggers such as Bob Spencer and those who share his views. They'd rather present their spin as fact - that the 'West' and the Muslims are engaged in a religious war. They aren't.

Some extremists on both sides do want religious wars. Some terrorists on both sides are willing to give up their lives for their political views - eg Joe Stack.

There is even an example of an American-born, white, suicide terrorist - motivated by religion and who was quite sane (indeed he was an educated man, a doctor no less)- who calmly carried out a successful suicide mission and killed many innocent worshippers - Baruch Goldstein.

So, for every argument that there is actually a religious war going on between Muslims and the rest - there are examples on the 'West' which match those carried out by Muslims.

But scratch the surface and the majority of the clashes are not over religion, but over political issues. The word 'Political' is used consciously and deliberately - in the context of 'political activists' and 'political prisoners' - where the grievance of the attackers is over state/government actions.

Looking at the statistics - by the FBI and by Europol - we also see that the terrorist acts (bombings, killings etc) carried out by those using Islam as an excuse, are dwarfed by people like the Arizona shooter and Florida mosque bomber and ETA bombings - who are non-Muslim and largely non-religious terrorists and who are indeed aiming to kill to make a political point.

The survey does reflect the reality - tensions are largely political and can be resolved by people rejecting the myths peddled by Bob Spencer and those gullible enough to believe him.

Cheers,
Shafique

And in these past 10 years. The two wars and countless civilian deaths and destruction and occupation of the land by NATO forces. How is that improving the imagine of the west in the region ? You can't be at war with someone and then expect them to bend over for you too.

Why don't you ask that Pakistani politician assassinated by his bodyguard.

He must have been part of NATO or something because many tens of thousands of Pakistanis came out to publicly support his killing and his killer.

This whole issue of tension between the east and west is a door that swings both ways.

East, West, cartoonists, Salman Rushdie, Terry Jones, the Pope, that Pakistani politician, Coptic worshipers, Buddha statues.

I think it's getting more difficult to convince people over time. Especially when they do as you advise and research what they're being told by the media.