The Case for an Islamo-Christian civilization

02Mar08

 The Similarieties and Differences between Islam and Christianity: How Dialogue can lead to World Peace and how the differences can lead to Apocalypse   

The world of the 21st century has spun and turned a thousand times and its peoples have experienced revolutionary changes from globalization to this rebirth of religion that is divisively affiliating people along religious creed once again. After 9/11, when the two poles of ultimate globalization and radical extremism clashed, the world became ideologically divided between a Western world’s (predominantly Christian rooted) moral values and a Muslim world’s code of laws. In this epic battle between the forces of unity on one side (whether they be through the promotion of homogenous society or through multicultural assimilation) against the forces of separation on the other (whether it is a diplomatic struggle for autonomy, armed resistance to cultural domination, or advocating a closed society that rejects sharing any values with the “other”), the world becomes an increasingly chaotic atmosphere where cultures clash and people start to loose their identity! Much talk and publicity in the media and on the streets has surrounded the fate of Islamo-Western relations in particular, and there have also been a few makers of public opinion issue warnings of a clash of civilizations between the “Muslim world” and the “Western world”. But terminology in such sensitive matters depends on one’s definition of civilization or clash and perception of what the Muslim world really is, or whether they view the Western world as secular or religious, for political tensions may be regarded as apocalyptic signs even “Armageddon”, overnight! Realistically nonetheless, America is re-imposing its hegemony all over the world and Islamic theology is like a thorn in its eye, resisting the free modern society it preaches and even clashing with its military forces and sabotaging its interests globally. In this essay, similarities between both Ambrahamic religions will be expressed as well as the differences examined! Under analysis furthermore, will be the history of dialogue between Islam and Christianity and how mutual agreement has yielded peace in the past as opposed to strained relations which have further destabilized the global community as is going on in present times!                   

 

According to world events, the fall of the Soviet Union left a massive stage for the USA to “Americanize” the world! However as communism became less appealing as an ideology that opposed the western “free society”, the rise of political Islam started to gain ground and fill that vacuum where tangible solutions for the well being of the state were once provided! In fact as the Western world with the USA as its propagator continues to regard Islam as the new threat, one that opposes a free modern society and democracy, then this new tide of Anti Semitism that is this time directed not on Jews, but against the Children of Ishmael; the Muslims, is sure to continue. Islamophobia as it’s now termed will prevail and in turn 1 billion Muslims already feeling isolated from the global society, criminalized by the media, and not so long ago occupied strictly according to religious grounds (as in the Crusades, when similar attitudes and an obsession with the ‘End of times’ led to a bloody conflict), will continue to feel isolated, seek comfort elsewhere, and in most cases develop a more extremist perspective when dealing with the “other”. ! Multiple civilizations are indeed affected economically, politically, and in terms of domestic policy by Islamo- Christian strife and forced to form alliances under the guidelines of an “us and them” mentality. Huntington wrote of this “clash of civilizations”, Bin Laden spoke of a Holy War against the crusaders and infidels, even George W. Bush notoriously implied that he thought he was performing God’s work! Thus, after establishing the ideological implications that are so central to the spreading of one’s culture or resisting another’s (as is seen with the current tensions between the Western and Muslim world) it is important to analyze the very scriptures that they regard as holy, for it is the source of their beliefs that provides the framework for their behavior. As expected, within the literal teachings of Christianity as well as Islam, an abundance of misintrepatations take root and it is clear to see how the world is effected by these religious misconceptions, especially when directed against Islam and the culture that belongs to Islam as it is widely regarded nowadays to be the most misunderstood culture in the world and is also the most misunderstood religion in and of itself! For instance the first piece of knowledge acquired when studying comparative religions specialized in the Quran and Bible is that while both religions provide a theological challenge to each other, they both have historical ties and monolithic faiths based on God’s covenant with Abraham that essentially affirm one another! The messages and values are largely similar whether one attributes them to the One god that either Muslims and Christians worship or simply considering they both originated in relatively the same area of the world then chances are they would be rather similar. The differences lay in the details and so does the devil as they say.

 

Generally speaking, Islam’s mounting influence all around the world which is countering the Western/Christian domination of globalization is seen as a cultural menace to democracy that must be dealt with ideologically, hence the battle of words is transmitted visa vi mass media.  However the battle ground immediately shifts to more uncharted territories when talk of an Islamic “Umma” or empire is brought forth to the table for it is understandably viewed as a strategic threat that must be dealt with politically, even militarily. Majority of Christians do not know anything of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad but what politicians, priests, free press tell them (all of whom have mutual interests in discrediting Islam) while more Muslims know of Jesus and Christianity due to cultural imperialism and the nature of Islamic doctrine which has included the previous teachings within its binders. Christian scholars however, believe Islam is indeed a well developed theology that is able to cross over into politics with much support by the masses and great appeal! Westerners who happen to be Christians claim that the spread of this Islamism is hampering their rights to live a world full of free societies and capitalist economies living side by side in peace and acceptance of the hierarchal structure of power on this Earth which grants the West higher status above all. They argue that this ‘Umma’ that Muslims speak of, is only confirmation of Islam’s desire to conform the whole world into its oppressive and intolerable system. According to recent CNN statistics 84 % of Americans have a disfavorable view of Muslims. According to the New York Time’s article “Clash of Civilizations in a Multicultural Age”, author David Brooks advocates a military solution and suggests Muslim’s consider what the Bible has to say! The majority of Muslims shockingly, do not know that in fact the Quran’s use of the word ‘Umma’ refers not to the Islamic empire as they too have been led astray into believing, but literally and metaphorically it refers to the whole world, or the global state to be more up to date and precise! This shows how the majority of Muslims are misinformed about their own faith which is a direct consequence of the Arab world’s  high illiteracy rates (60-70%) which in turn makes way for the reliance on what a Sheikh tells them to do (issuing Fatwa’s). Therefore, when the Quran speaks of maintaining peace with all tribes of the Umma it means maintaining peace with all peoples of the global community and not just an Islamic global community! Muslims likewise, share the same feelings of animosity towards ‘the other’, for instance a steady majority of Muslims degrade Western society by defining it in terms of its materialistic greed and moral decline due to its corrupted values! According to their faith which they support by scholarly investigations even from testimonies by Christian priests of the highest emminance, is that the teachings of Jesus Christ have been corrupted throughout the times. Christians say so as well to one another as virtually each sect posses its own version of the Bible which is considered ‘gravely deficient’ by all the other. If Islam is one thing it is a religion founded by theological debates and arguments using deductive reasoning and tackling head on ‘the other’ by confronting that ‘other’s’ position and exposing the logical (physical and metaphysical) fallacies within it. But Extremist Muslims go a step further and declare that since the Christian scriptures are corrupt then Western societies as a whole are therefore corrupted as well. The only dialogue they advocate is through the language of the gun, claiming that one enters the negotiating table for example with leverage and power or else, one’s rights could be easily denied.  

 

The post 9/11 world has seen a highlight of these crucial differences that have constantly acted as the bread and butter of media outlets since the start of this century. For example Western mass media have constantly presented the image of a Muslim women’s veil and then associated that image with oppression, totally disregarding Christian nuns who cover their heads as well. The irony here is that nowhere in the Quran does it order women to be veiled whereas the Bible in fact explicitly says “Women cover your heads, those who do not dishonor themselves”, according to Corinthians 11. Even the Virgin Mary is depicted in all of her paintings as wearing a head scarf much resembling that of a Muslim woman. Moreover, Western mass media (which naturally obtains its morals and values from Christianity as it is after all the predominant religion), concentrates on the Islamic Shariaa Law so as to give off the propagandized impression that Islam is a backwards and barbaric religion. However, looking back in history one finds that many people were slaughtered in the name of Christianity. And looking at the Bible text itself, one can easily match a significant amount of the laws laid out by Islam with the lesser commandments of the Old Testament! Therefore, whether these differences have been misinterpreted or correctly understood, and regardless of what prompted the divisions in the first place (the original theological texts or their exaggerated ramifications be it by divisive leaders or by the media) the results have been further exacerbation of tensions with an increase in ideological rationalizations as opposed geopolitical or economic ones. Under analysis next will be the history of both Jesus son of Mary’s gospels and Muhammad son of Abdullah’s oral revelations and their gradual emergence into the Islam and Christianity known by or rather familiar to its present day followers. Also thoroughly scrutinized, the history of Muslim Christian dialogue in an effort to provide the background knowledge for determining how both worldly religions of peace that confirm one another could be so strained and reach such a level of deadly competition for more people and souls, property such as land, and political power as is presently the case!  

Ironically, Jesus son of Mary is regarded as the most “Lovable” messenger of God by both sides of the conflict. In fact the Holy Quran mentions Jesus Christ by name a considerable amount of times more than the prophet Muhammad himself! Indeed, from the day he was born as a Jew in Nazareth, Jesus son of Mary preached the Holy gospels (or the Injeel) to his family, friends, and disciples. Both Muslims as well as Christians generally agree that Jesus came to correct what had been already been altered in the Torah (Holy book for Jews), and save them from their misguided deeds (however, Christians only after the death of Jesus by well over a few decades, introduced the rationale for Christ’s crucifixion which claimed that his death was a sacrifice by God to clear humanity from mankind’s natural tendencies to sin! Correspondingly many Christians believe that Jesus had died on the cross to alleviate people from sin and the horrible sufferings of hell that followed, therefore no matter how much man sins, God has already forgiven him. Muslims on the other hand, believe that the crucifixion was rather a cruci-fiction in other words they share the belief with the Gnostics that his enemies were tricked by the illusion of Jesus’ death while in reality(according to all Muslims) God transcended him into Heaven. Yet, it is a core conception for Christians that Jesus sacrificed himself in the name of breaking the curse that Adam and Eve brought upon humanity with the “Original sin”. It is regarded by the majority as a central event in the formation of modern Christianity and yet it is also disagreeable from one sect to another, for there are those who believe Jesus later got married to Mary Magdalene and died much later than what is presently accepted by the majority (according to The Lost Tomb of Jesus, Discovery Channel documentary showing what they claim is the tomb of Jesus). There are those (predominantly Catholics) who regard Jesus as God’s incarnation (as part of the Trinity, which scholars argue is very similar to the beliefs of pre Christian pagans living in the Roman Empire). There are also those who simply view Jesus as a Human prophet of God as did the early followers of Jesus called the “Nazarenes” and as do the majority of Muslims.

 

The “Nazarenes” were persecuted by Saul also known as St. Paul, who later converted to Christianity after Jesus had appeared to him in a dream! Intriguingly, it is –Paul- that very persecutor of those early Christians who regarded Jesus as a human prophet, who in turn introduced the conception that the Messiah was God’s incarnation on Earth. Understandably, the “Nazarenes” (those closest to Jesus in his lifetime as opposed to someone who never met Jesus in real life but claimed to have met him in a dream on “The Road to Damascus”) regarded Paul as an incredible hypocrite who went on a killing spree targeting all of those with the pure message so that he could start a new religion unchallenged, by twisting the true gospels of Jesus as revealed to the “Nazarenes”! The Quran mentions the Nazarenes extensively and regards them as Muslims as well for they believe in One God that does not beget and is not begotten, and Jesus son of Mary as a human prophet who preached the gospels. Muslims argue that the Bible of today does not have the gospels of Jesus himself but rather accounts of the gospels of Jesus by others who are after all human and therefore fallible. They reckon that the “Injeel” or the documented gospels of Jesus were either lost or deliberately mishandled by those who felt threatened by his message Love and Forgiveness. Ahmed Deedat a prominent Muslim scholar who traveled the world to publicly debate Christian leaders among whom were Jimmy Swagger, Anis Sharrosh  and others, claims that the alteration of the Bible rests primarily on St Paul’s shoulders as the persecutor of the earliest followers and promoter of the present deviated message to the rest of the world! He along with other scholars who share his view,  recognize Paul’s brilliance nonetheless in his ability to convert such a powerful entity as the Roman Empire into Christianity as he saw it, but denounce his wrongdoings concerning the alteration of the “true” gospels. Even Christian scholars recognize the difficulty of attributing authorship due to author anonymity for several books and the difficulty distinguishing the majority of what is God’s word with the minor human errors here and there. For instance, even in cases where the gospel is attributed to Mark, Mathew, Luke, or John, men of such eminence back then used to hire secretaries for whom they would often write, and those secretaries were also prone to make mistakes. The result has been an alarming multiplicity in different versions of the Bible (reaching over 100 according to The Index for 100+ Versions of the Scriptures, available online). None of them are the same in fact not one Bible’s geneology of Jesus Christ is identical to another’s, and each has a unique amount of what has been decided to be included from the Scriptures. The Apocrypha has been omitted from the majority of modern day versions for being considered too Gnostic and for example the King James Version which in and of itself has undergone its 9th major revision and contains 7 books less than the Roman Catholic Bible!

 

By sharp contrast, the Quran is passionately regarded as the infallible word of God altogether. No changes or alterations have taken place what so ever and an elaborate mathematical protection code associated with the geometric value of each letter ensures that the Quran hasn’t been nor will it ever be changed or revised and go unnoticed, no one can hack into the program so to speak (the program for all humanity) without the “19 miracle code” (the Quran’s protection code) sounding an alarm. At least that is what Muslim scholars challenge any of the disbelievers to disprove, and the challenge has thus far gone uncontested. The sayings of the prophet however which have only recently played a greater role than the Quran in shaping people’s daily faith, are much like the Bible. They are human accounts of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad only they aren’t even regarded to be ‘heavenly inspired’ as the Bible is for Christians. Muslims acknowledge that the collections of sayings are fallible; however they suggest that without the sayings of the Prophet, Muslims wouldn’t have a practical and realistic example of how to implement their faith. The sayings are also where most of the prophecies of the ‘End of Times’ are documented and people’s belief in such scenarios are indirectly prompting them to relate these prophecies to the ongoing tensions between the Islam and the West. For instance, Muslims are awaiting the second return of Prophet Jesus accompanied by Emam Mehdi who is going to have the power to manipulate all forms of metal, signifying for many Muslims his ability to defeat even the most powerful of armies, single handedly. However, the foretelling of these events is solely based on these sayings and it is worth mentioning that the Quran doesn’t declare this whatsoever.

     

Perhaps coming as a surprise for many, is the fact that Christians believe in an almost identical set of events as foretold by John, The Beloved One. Speaking of which, this leads to the inclusion of the most controversial book in the Bible, the “Book of Revelations” in which John the Apostle warns of how the ‘End of Times’ will unfold and prophesizes a dire forecast of the proceedings leading up to the much anticipated Apocalypse. It is the source of much debate even internally as well as arguably the most divisive and aggressive part of the Bible. It speaks of ‘the forces of good and evil facing each other in an epic battle’ which many times in history has appealed to politicians as many of the prophecies, according to Professor of Theology Greg Carey, relate to so much going on in the news nowadays. Regarding its inclusion, during the 4th century AD, it was debated among Bishops for whether or not it should even be in the Bible, and it was rejected at first for the kinds of violence that the council found in it.  As previously stated, very similar prophecies on epic wars, Anti Christ, and more frequent natural disasters signifying the ‘End of Times’ have reoccurred almost 800 years later in the middle of the Sahara desert when the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad were collected almost 190 years after his death. The differences were only in who would come out victorious and other minute differences here and there, small enough to be omitted yet big enough to cause human conflict. However, their respective scenarios of what needs to be achieved first in order for the second coming of Christ to come about (accompanied by Mehdi according to majority of Muslims) often do conflict and to humanity’s misfortune the differences are not only trivial to both faiths but they are perhaps more critically defined by tangible realities on the ground such as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians!

 

In a CNN documentary called Gods Warriors prominent evangelical leader Jerry Falwell claimed that “God has a foreign policy” when it comes to the people of Israel and he cited the Holy Bible’s Genesis verse 12:3 that reads “I will bless those who bless you and I will curse those who curse you”, referring to the Children of Israel and justifying the US’s unconditional biases in favor of Israel despite their role as an honest broker between Palestinians and Israelis. This is a great example of how ideology mixes in with state policy even in the U.S of A! That is the way their democracy functions, the Evangelical vote which was widely credited for putting in place the Republican moral majority all the way through the 90’s, responsible also for the Bush administration’s rise to the White House in 2000 and their subsequent reelection in 2004, expects that it will gain in return the implementation of its agendas, the most expectable of which being the full support of a unified Israel which will set the world stage for the second coming of Jesus Christ! According to the “Book of revelations”, it is forecasted that Jesus would return only when the Jews are united first and foremost and then a few more set of events here and there. Fortunately for them, their agendas have been to a large extent adopted and executed by the Neo Conservatives who share a very similar world view with those of the Evangelical creed. Throughout ancient and modern history, Christians have shown and made public their obsession and constant fear of the Anti Christ regarding him to be Adolf Hitler at one point in time, Julius Cesar before that, and for some apparent reason a growing segment of Christian fundamentalists nowadays, have reinterpreted the text so as to lay the framework and make the case that proposes the Anti Christ as being the Prophet Muhammad himself, all along. Radical Islamists on the other hand, consider Evangelical Christians as genocidal polytheists who regulate the American presidents like a puppet and manipulate other Western countries visa VI secret societies like Free Masons or Zionists, and from those grounds, they rationalize their rage and justify their Holy War.

 

Historians from across the world have documented the sheer brutality and barbaric code of laws for all of those who lived under the assemblance of church and state during the Dark Ages and experienced the literal interpretations of the Bible which gave way for violent times troubled with wars, inner strife, and sinful behavior! That violent atmosphere gave way for a human need for a renewed sense of direction, provided by the Islamic revelations. Not only were the so called Christian kingdoms of Europe beheading people for possessing any other book than the bible and punishing adulterers by stoning them to death according to Leviticus of the Old Testament (which also advocates the stoning to death anybody who merely curses at their own mother), but the pre Islamic Arab Bedouins as well, were living by the sword, only they didn’t even have a religion to unite them so much bloodshed was spilled due to tribal feudalism. As the world became more and more violent by the day, and Christianity as a salvation for the peoples was at its low point, Islam was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad and shortly after it had reached its peak in terms of scientific breakthroughs and social revolutions. Islam provided humanity with women’s rights when Western women of the time living in Europe were set ablaze for wrongful and outrageous allegations such as accusing them of being witches, yet Islam called for equality between man and woman! The Islamic civilization when compared to the battered Christian civilization nearby, it is definitely apparent of which was the more progressive one at the time. Islam inspired many to further advance studies in the fields of Literature, Philosophy, and Science.  That refined enlightment and thirst for knowledge of the Muslims which was instigated by an illiterate Prophet Muhammad’s revelations, were a testament to the human need for a Quran, in which all Muslims find unity over and consider being the Final Testament completing the Old and New! From Abraham to Moses to Jesus, the Quran reaffirmed God’s prophets and Allah’s (not a separate deity but the Arabic word for God) one true message! Over a crucial era of over 200 years, Europe’s encounter with the Islamic civilization enabled them to follow the pioneering footsteps of Middle Age Muslim scholars and scientists especially in the fields of medicine, philosophy, astronomy, anatomy, chemistry, and mathematics as is the case with Muslim astronomer Al Battani (858- 929) who disproved the notion of heliocentrism long before Copernicus did so. However the Muslim world’s influence upon the West during the middle Ages was suddenly hampered as a result of the Crusades initiated at the start of the 11th century. From then on relations between the two religions have never been fully reconciled. Several European kingdoms mobilized their peoples by manipulating them into thinking that they were approaching the ‘End of Times” using religion as a pretext. The European motives for initiating the tensions were never fully corroborated by historians; some say it was to secure vital economic and trade interests, others argue it was to weaken Islam’s mounting power and success in order to ensure the Church’s survival and maintain its hegemony at least in Europe, and that meant an armed struggle (starting with ‘Al Andalus’ or Present day Spain) where Islam had already based itself in hope of spreading further and deeper Westward, (and ending with Jerusalem)! The European kingdoms formed a united Christian front that consisted of multiple Christian kingdoms, which rallied together as a pack in the conquest of Jerusalem. These early clashes of civilizations have constituted a chain of confrontations, distrust, and an open wound that continues to bleed up until this present day!  From Crusades to the waves of colonial imperialism that reduced whatever remained of the once all mighty Islamic caliphate to occupied nation states, to the modern age’s War on Terror which further deepened the tensions (just as prophesized by the Holy Books, some would argue), the key players in all three significant historical time periods seem to be the same usual suspects in constant theological conflict with one another. But when it is all said and done, the Pandora’s box of differences so to speak, stems out from the disagreement with regards to the dissimilar concepts of God that each religion considers to constitute the very core of their respective faiths (Islam denouncing the Trinity as a deviation from the fundamental spirit of monotheistic faith, and Christianity maintaining the divinity of Jesus Christ).   

                                                                 

“Though Islamo-Christian civilization may be a neologism, it is a creative key term that this book will make into a household word. Since 9/11 Americans have been subjected to a relentless parade of experts, from missionaries to historians to special interest advocates, all of whom warn about the difference and danger of Islam. Richard Bulliet reveals the flimsiness of their arguments. Against Samuel Huntington’s “clash of civilizations” and Bernard Lewis’s “What Went Wrong?,” Bulliet sees a future in which the screeds of American Islamophobes and the violent dreams of Muslim extremists both are eclipsed by respect and popular following for leaders of tolerant and peaceful conscience. They are the key to our collective future as members of Islamo-Christian civilization.”, Bruce B. Lawrence, Professor of Islamic Studies, Duke University.

 

With this rebirth of religion, Christianity continues to grow rich and powerful yet further away from everyday life whereas Islam continues to find success around the globe but falls behind in wealth and power. Especially due to this new brand of Islam, which initially originated with Iran’s Islamic revolution and formation of the “Islamic republic”, this militant form of Islam and its opposition to a homogeneous “Americanized” society , has given Western mass media just the public enemy they need so as to distinguish their morals and values from ‘the other’. The term Jihad has been blown out of proportion to score political points and rally public opinion to their favor! For Christians, the negative publicity of Islam by associating it with terrorism and taking certain Quranic quotations out of context (as in the case of “Kill them, kill the unbelievers wherever you find them”, totally excluding “And drive them out from whence they drove you out, Verily, persecution is severer than slaughter”, according to Chapter 2 verse 191), serves great purpose in using the current circumstances to paint a tainted picture of that ‘other’ religion! Likewise, this militant form of Islam originally branded by Sayyid Qutb claims as he once said “the Crusader spirit which runs in the blood of all Westerners” combined with their polytheistic approach to their Heavenly faith, basically justifies their killings. Later, Osama Bin Laden came out with a declaration against all Jews and Crusaders justifying their killings as well, no matter where they reside! One mustn’t make the mistake of attributing the tensions to one party and not the other, for it takes two sides to tangle.

With America’s current foreign policy receiving its backbone support from the Evangelical community , coupled with the rise in Islamophobia, according to 15 intelligence agencies including the CIA, said, “We are creating more terrorists than we are killing”, and the ongoing strife in the Middle East is definitely a reflection of such findings. The Iraq War is a great example of how both the Christian civilization and the Islamic are confronting each other in a battle field. It definitely depends on one’s perspective and portrayal of the Iraq War; however it is becoming increasingly apparent that it is above all a theological battle, that is to say deeply rooted as well as justified by religious conviction. For example, the private army operating in Iraq called BlackWater, who’s CEO is multi millionaire Erik Prince, one of Bush’s friends from the radical Christian right, is using a shadow army made up of criminals and ex convicts who have been religiously programmed in “faith based prisons”, so as to match their enemy’s morale boosting religious convictions, a tremendous advantage especially in time of war. In an effort to assimilate themselves with this highly charged enemy, BlackWater’s corporate army has been strategically composed of highly determined fighters manipulated into believing that they are making God happy . Erik Prince who is also credited for uniting the Evangelicals and Catholics of America as part of a united front called Evangelicals and Catholics Together or the ECT, himself a frequent political and financial contributor to the Christian right agenda, according to Middle East Bureau Chief Chris Hedges of the New York Times, comes from a wealthy Christian conservative family that have dedicated their lives to support the Christian cause. His father often spoke of how he truly believed that he was fulfilling “God’s work on Earth”, and he made sure that his son followed in his footsteps, according to Jeremy Scahill author of the book “BlackWater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army”. After being recruited from these “faith based prisons”, BlackWater employees are given an m-80 machine gun and a license to kill at will without fear of retribution or punishment! As a result, this corporate army running a full profit business in a chaotic war zone, has fostered an environment where these shadow soldiers (referred to by a top general for the US led coalition in Iraq, as “trigger happy cowboys”) consider everyone as a potential enemy and conduct mission critical operations with a “shoot and then ask questions later” mentality. On the other end of the conflict, it is no secret that the Islamic militants are stimulated by faith as well and regard the occupiers to be “Neo Crusaders”.     Therefore, it becomes increasingly apparent that the conflict in Iraq is turning out to be a theologically charged confrontation between both civilizations and not just an economic or political one. Some would make the case that oil and other natural resources aren’t the real reasons for the Bush administration’s implementation of current policies towards the Middle East, but that ideological premises serve as the actual motivation, and oil is just a means for paying for these agendas which have already been decided. Unfortunately, there are enough grounds to make a sound case for the economic, geopolitical, as well as cultural motivations too.     

      

After analyzing the similarities and differences among and between both world religions and the times of peace as well as strife that the two have experienced in relation to each other, it becomes all the more comprehensible to absorb the tremendous impact that they (Muslims and Christians) have had on humanity as a whole. Are we experiencing the early sparks of a clash of civilizations? If so then how does that fit in with the case for an Islamo-Christian civilization for those who consider that they are both one and the same religion? Again the terminology is vague. Others would argue that the “Christian civilization” has decomposed a long time ago with the separation of church and state, making way for the rise of free democratic societies which in turn have replaced Christianity with Secularity for the “Western world”! If this is true and Christian morals and values have disappeared, then there isn’t much of a case left for regarding this ongoing strife as a religious war between Islam and Christianity. If that’s the case, then perhaps it should be better labeled as a culture clash between the Arab and Western world. However, that too can be broken down even further to conventional Nation State vs. Nation State tensions (i.e., USA vs. Iran or Israel vs. Lebanon). As for this obsession with the literal interpretations of the text and the much anticipated world events that come as a sign of the Return of the Messiah, why not all of us who believe in such a revelation (Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike), hold hands and wait for the Rapture.                    

                

           By: Seif Allah Khaled Seif El Nasr, Jonah Bloom , and Asmaa

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