Why a Clash?

First, differences among civilizations are basic. They involve history, language, culture, social life and religion. Different civilizations have different views about the nature of God and relations between God and Man. Civilizations also differ with respect to the concept of the state, liberty, democracy, secularism, pluralism, tolerance and the rule of law.

Second, the communications and the information revolution has engulfed the globe is a two edged sword. This communications revolution narrows differences among the various cultural and ethnic groups. It tends to melt different cultures into a homogenous whole. People the world over begin to look, think and act alike. The process of Globalisation allows people to identify more with their roots.

Third, modernization erodes local identities. The world over, people have lost affinity with the village, the neighborhood and the family. Fundamentalist religious movements have captured the space thus vacated.

It was this fact along with the negative reperecussions of globlisation which explains the development of religious and cultural conflict. The clash of civilizations explores the conflicts that mark the borders of the Islamic world. A new cold war, a clash of civilizations, which has often been translated to a global holy war.

The conflict broke wide open Sept. 11, but experts say its beginnings are deeply rooted in religious and cultural tensions sharpened by the end of the cold war.

As Mr. Huntington put it:

"The fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural."

The chief cultural fault line in the post-cold war world, Huntington argues, occurs where the West meets Islam. The "clash of civilizations" hypothesis is just that – a hypothesis.

And Huntington himself has emphasized the hope that the West and Islam can find ways to peacefully coexist. As he wrote in his book, "In the final analysis, however, all civilizations will have to learn to tolerate each other."

We could analyze from current scenario the fact that west is attacking Islamic culture. They are calling Islamic traditions and laws as barbaric, 14th century old, impractical, against human rights and many other derogatory terms they are using to attack Islamic identity and culture. So this clash is basically religious-cultural.

Now look at the following burning issues of current era:

Fundamentalism- attachment with fundamentals, for Muslims the fundamentals is sunnah of our Holly Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), (Muslims who are attaching themselves to the sunnah of Holy Prophet i.e. long beard, Islamic dress, Islamic values, they calling them fundamentalists)

Terrorism and extremism (West is using this term synonymously with Muslim identity)
Blasphemous Cartoons
Burqa or veil issue (an Islamic tradition and value or rather a cultural symbol)
Burning the Holy Quran etc. etc.

I am not here seconding or refuting Mr. Huntington’s theory Clash of Civilization, I am just putting the pieces together. And it is evident that the clash is exists broad open.

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“There is no God but You (Allah Almighty), You are far exalted and above all weaknesses, and I was indeed the wrongdoer”. AL-QURAN