الإسلام والغرب: نحو عالم أفضل

I SLAMIC R EPUBLICANISM AND L IBERAL D EMOCRACY

Louis J. Cantori In order to address the question of areas of conflict and agreement between the West and Islam, it is important to first analyze what is meant by the “West” and by “Islam”. There is indeed deadly conflict in the world and much of this conflict comes from Muslim peoples and groups but it is not directed broadly and primarily against the West as Huntington Clash of Civilizations famously at least formerly used to believe and the American White House still does. Moreover, the conflict, contrary to Huntington’s thesis of its inevitability , is not one of culture, but rather one of politics. It is not insecurity of cultural identity that breeds conflict but rather political differences. If there is a need for reaffirming cultural identity by means of conflict, as suggested by Huntington, this is perhaps an insecurity peculiar to Americans and American cultural pluralism and not that of mankind in general. To begin with, the fury of Muslims is directed not against the “West” but rather it is against America, Americans and those in the West and the Middle East who choose to ally themselves with America. It is America and Americans who provide the provocation for the acts of violence carried out by extremists who themselves do not speak for or act in the name of majority Islam. America and its allies are military targets as a consequence of American foreign and military policy in the Middle East and the military occupation of the Muslim peoples of Afghanistan, Iraq plus collusion in the occupation of Palestine and the military threats to Iran. In addition, there is the matter of foreign control of the holy places of Jerusalem and American support of the Arab tyrants and dictators who have killed, tortured and imprisoned thousands of their citizens. It is the case then, that the fury of the overwhelming numbers of Muslims is directed against America, some European regimes and Arab leaders also allied with America and is

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