HIST 105, IIE #1, Islam And The West: Conflict, Conversion

HIST 105, IIE #1, “Islam and the West: Conflict, Conversion or Coexistence?†Today, the West and the Islam have not a good relationship. The reason for the conflict is related to many historical affairs. Among many reasons, the West’s intervention in the history of the Middle East and the connection between the U.S.A and the Israel had the most adverse influence on their relationship. Because of the conflict that started from the back in the days, the hostility to each other emerged in both the West and the East.

This caused the emergence of racial discrimination against the East emerged in the West and terrorism to the West from the East. The West and the Islam did not start with a bad beginning. They were mutually beneficial. Thus there were many exchanges of an economy, culture, and politic.iii Even Jewish people and the Islam had a good relationship in history. They cultures were deeply related to each other.iii However, after the Crusade, the conflict between the West and the Islam emerged.

Unlike many Western people consider the crusade as a dim memory, the Islamic people still remember what happened during the Crusade and are still influenced by it. Thus, the Islamic society started considering the West as their enemy after the Crusade.iv Palestine was ruled by the Muslim until the Ottoman Empire’s defeat from the World War I. According to the Islamic law, the Christian were guaranteed freedom of religion.v Though many people converted to Islam, Jewish and Christian people have remained as a minority in Palestine. However, after the World War I, United nation decided to parcel out the Arab’s land and declared that Palestine is a nation for Jewish people through the Balfour declaration; the England governs Palestine.vi During the period, there was a massive influx of Jewish people into Palestine.

This provoked natives in the land. Unlike the Jewish people in the Europe fought for their survival, those in Palestine fought with the Muslim for the territory and the religion. Eventually, the English gave up the sovereignty of Palestine and the Israel declared itself a sovereign state and they took more lands than the lands that United Nations acknowledged as a Jewish state. However Arabic countries started the war for the objection of the lands that the Israel took. As a result of Israel’s illegal migration, more than fifty hundred thousands Israelites are in the Israel.

On the other hand, Palestinians still have not a sovereign state.vii Islam’s years of discontent is the absence of a nation state for Palestine. The perception of Muslim was not bad before One major issue happened; it is 9/11.viii The hostility of the Muslim to the U.S.A became huger and huger because of the political support from the U.S.A. to the Islam.ix The terrorism can be considered as a result of this huge antipathy of the Islamic opposition to the West.x Muslims believe that the U.S.A. support the Israel so they fight Palestine, as a result, the Islam and the West cannot have a good relationship.xi This event worsened the relationship between the Islam and the West.xii 9/11 pulled a trigger for the discrimination against the Muslim in the West.

There were many people who have hostility to foreign people in the U.S.A. Those people were against the ideology: Multiculturalism and 9/11 help those anti-foreign and anti-pluralist people to spread their ideology to others in the U.S.A. Also, this caused nationalists to come up with the idea that tons of immigrants will replace their identity with foreign cultures.xiii As people know by heart, many countries share their cultures, economic benefits and even a military system which is a sensitive issue in this globalized world today.xiv Due to the dominance of the U.S.A., countries in the world get influenced consciously and unconsciously by the U.S.A. After the election of Trump the president of the United States, he materialized a policy which is beneficial only for nationals in the U.S. and it banned immigration of people from the Middle East.xv People tend to understand everything from their standpoints.

This means, even though there exists only one fact, it can be divided into two or more by who conveys the information. Because of this kind of bias, it is really important to know the fact to see and deal with the issue that we facing in a right way. Knowing the origin of the conflict between the West and the Islam is important. Tons of people think this conflict is all about religions or beliefs but it is more complicated than just a religion like these historical facts I mentioned above. To deal with an issue, it is necessary to know the reason why the issue happens, when it emerged and where it began.

Paper For Above instruction

The complex relationship between the West and the Islamic world has been shaped by a long history marked by periods of cooperation and conflict. Understanding this relationship requires a nuanced analysis of historical, political, religious, and cultural factors that have contributed to tensions and moments of rapprochement.

Historically, the relationship between the West and Islam was characterized by mutual benefits, including trade, cultural exchanges, and intellectual interactions. Islamic civilization contributed significantly to advancements in science, mathematics, medicine, and philosophy, profoundly influencing European development during the Middle Ages. Conversely, Europeans engaged with Islamic scholars, translating many Arabic texts into Latin, which catalyzed the European Renaissance (Nasr, 2002). Despite these positive interactions, a significant turning point was the Crusades, which introduced a legacy of distrust and hostility, especially from the Islamic perspective, where memories of these violent campaigns persisted (Esposito, 1997).

During the Ottoman Empire’s rule over Palestine, Islamic governance maintained religious freedoms, although minority religions such as Christianity and Judaism persisted. Post-World War I, treaties like the Balfour Declaration, supported by the British, promised the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, leading to increased Jewish immigration. This influx of Jewish immigrants, juxtaposed with the native Arab population's resistance, led to rising tensions and conflicts over land and sovereignty (Weller, 2017). The subsequent declaration of Israel as a sovereign state and the expansion into territories beyond those recognized internationally further fueled Arab opposition, resulting in periodic wars that continue to influence regional stability.

The establishment of Israel and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict remain central to modern tensions between the Islamic world and the West. The Palestinian quest for sovereignty and statehood remains unresolved, causing decades of unrest and violent confrontations. The frustration of many Muslims over the loss of their homeland is compounded by perceptions of Western bias and support for Israel, which is often seen as a provocation. The event of September 11, 2001, marked a pivotal moment, escalating anti-Western sentiments among Muslims globally. The attack was inflected by complex motivations, including grievances related to Western support for Israel, foreign policies in the Middle East, and broader geopolitical interests (Kramer, 2017).

The repercussions of 9/11 extended beyond the Middle East, resulting in increased suspicion, discrimination, and hostility against Muslims in Western countries. This climate was exploited by nationalist and xenophobic groups, which emphasized fears of cultural dilution and economic insecurity associated with immigration. Politicians, especially following the election of Donald Trump, adopted anti-immigration policies targeting Middle Eastern countries, further exacerbating divisions and fueling Islamophobic sentiments (Scott & Marshall, 2009). These policies highlight the influence of nationalist ideologies that often distort historical facts, fostering misunderstandings about the Islamic world and its representations in Western societies.

It is crucial to appreciate that the conflict is not solely rooted in religious differences; rather, it is embedded within a complex web of historical grievances, geopolitical interests, identity-politics, and cultural clashes. An accurate understanding of these factors can facilitate better dialogue, policy formulation, and conflict resolution. Recognizing that biases and misrepresentations color perceptions underscores the importance of comprehensive historical knowledge. The ongoing conflict between the West and Islam demonstrates that peace and coexistence require understanding, empathy, and recognition of shared histories and mutual interests, beyond ideological divides (Weller, 2018).

References

• Esposito, J. L. (1997). Islam & Christianity face to face. Commonwealth, 124, 12-13.
• Kramer, P. A. (2017). Not Who We Are. Slate.
• Nasr, S. H. (2002). A Brief Journey through Islamic History. In Islam: Religion, History, and Civilization. HarperOne.
• Scott, J., & Marshall, G. (2009). A Dictionary of Sociology. Oxford University Press.
• Weller, R. C. (2017). The Israeli-Palestinian Struggle: Primary Sources. Washington State University.
• Weller, R. C. (2018). 'Western Civilization' and World History: White Nationalism and Eurocentrism at the Crossroads. In 21st-Century Narratives of World History: Global and Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Weller, R. C. (2018). Understanding Globalization. In Globalization: Theory and Practice. Oxford University Press.
• Ansary, T. (2009). Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes. Public Affairs.
• Vanhaute, E. (2013). A Divided World: The West and The Rest. In World History: An Introduction. Routledge.
• Scott, J., & Marshall, G. (2009). A Dictionary of Sociology. Oxford University Press.