"A survey conducted among 28,000 participants across 27 countries for the BBC World Service by the international polling firm GlobeScan together with the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland examined the reasons behind the tension between two different sides called the “West” and “Islam.”
GlobeScan coordinated the fieldwork for this research between November 2006 and January 2007, and the results of the survey were made public in January 2007. These are important per se, but one should also read carefully to find out what is written between the lines.

Another aim of the poll was to investigate if there could exist a common ground for cooperation or dialogue between these parties. As an answer to the first question, 52 percent of the respondents believe that the main reason for the tension is diverging interests and the fight for power. Those who think that cultural and religious differences exacerbate antagonisms constitute 29 percent of the respondents. But in the overall analysis, this rate is not taken into consideration as 19 percent of respondents don’t have any idea about this particular issue. We should also emphasize that the poll was realized in countries not directly influenced by “West-Islam” issues, countries in regions like Central or South America. For example, Mexico modifies greatly the average. The poll also suggests that all of the 28,000 respondents exhibit the same thinking when questioned about concepts like power or interest without taking into account eventual perception differences due to religious or cultural differences.

Moreover, 58 percent of the respondents believe that intolerant minorities are those responsible for any trouble. In that case, Western armies in Iraq or in Afghanistan, the Israeli army in Palestine or international forces in Lebanon cease to be a variable. This is to say in brief that the trouble around the world originates from the actions of intolerant and aggressive minorities and if those are eliminated, the unrest will disappear quickly.

The poll also investigates the tension that exists between these sides. But we should affirm that the tension itself is not defined within this survey. There is some talk about violence, but tension and violence are not perceived equally by every society around the globe. Violence for an Iraqi is a suicide attack that kills at least 10 people in a marketplace, but a Canadian might think that a terrorist attack has occurred when the power goes off for one minute.

Most important of all, this poll considers generalizations about the West or Islam are a natural and undisputed reality. The survey suggests that what they call “West” is a monolithic bloc and all Western societies share the same values without any exception. The same consideration is also true for Islam, and all these perceptions tend to create a clear-cut dichotomy between these two parties. The survey also suggests that the concepts West and Islam are comparable while at the same time cultural and religious blocs totally different from one and other.

These kinds of polls probably have good intentions but they also demonstrate how the West, by generalizing itself, needs to do the same for Muslims. Maybe this is the very reason for the tension".


Beril Dedeoglu, "Reasons behind the tension between the "West" and "Islam" have been discovered", Today's Zaman, 17.03.2007

"[...]“Does the West know enough about Islam?” [...] “No, despite the advancing technology, the increasing communication channels and the removal of certain limits. ”I mentioned the continuance of centuries-old stereotypes and the difficulty in acquiring accurate information about Islam. I noted that ignorance fed animosity and I elucidated the basin tenets of Islam to show its peaceful intent. I ended with another question, “Do Muslims know enough about Islam?”

Unfortunately the answer was again, “No.” The Muslim world is facing serious problems, especially materially. It is most disappointing that despite its rich natural resources most of its population lives below the poverty line. There is destitution in fortune, there is poverty within wealth. The leaders of Muslim countries are content with the wealth remaining within a very small class and have no plans to spread that wealth to a wider population. Hunger, famine and poverty are not on their agenda. This conflict between the leaders and the public leads to wide-spread animosity in the lower classes. The leaders manage to divert the anger of the public from themselves toward other powers.

The second-biggest problem in the Muslim world is education. Unfortunately the education systems in most Muslim countries are ill-developed. In some literacy rates are extremely low. The reason for illiteracy in some groups is related to the political trauma experienced in the country. For example, in Afghanistan war and instability has continued since the 1979 Soviet occupation. The country does not have the necessary tools for education …

It is no easy task for anyone to tackle poverty and education at the same time. While the distribution of unequal opportunities create class differences, when uneducated classes acquire power society becomes very narrow-minded. This makes it easier for some circles to manipulate such people and control their anger.

The worst is that Muslims’ knowledge of Islam is defective. They can not distinguish between religion and tradition. Islam has two basic sources: The Koran and the hadith, the words of Prophet Mohammed. Muslims ignorant of these two sources are easily influenced by the culture of words, a culture that is very easily manipulated.

Take the meaning of jihad as an example. Neither Muslims nor Westerners know the exact meaning of this word. Both the Koran and the words of Prophet Mohammed say jihad means the battle with one’s self, the ego. That is why on their return from a battle, Prophet Mohammed had said, “We have returned from the lesser jihad to the great jihad.” Scribes who recorded the prophet’s words asked, “Oh Prophet of Allah, what is the great jihad?” and Mohammed (pbuh) said, “a battle against one’s own ego is the big jihad.” In other words, jihad refers to the struggle to make oneself perfect.

War with the enemy is also called jihad, but that is the small jihad. However the open literature shows that jihad can not be declared by one person’s initiative. When war is inevitable and the certain conditions for jihad have developed, then the state, and only the state, can declare jihad. Any other war is considered anarchy and this is prohibited in Islam.

Another example: The Koran clearly says, “No person shall bear the burden of another.” which means that if you are angry with someone, you can not punish another person even if he/she is closely related to the person. You can’t equip yourself with bombs, enter crowds of people and kill them and yourself. There are certain conditions that must exist to declare war and war can only -- if absolutely inevitable -- be declared by the state. In the event of war, Islamic sources clearly mandate that no civilians can be killed and no trees be damaged. Islam also clearly rules that “whosoever takes a life, it is as if he has killed all of humanity” (al-Maida, verse 32). Thus it is a grave sin in Islam to kill a man without cause. Given that, how can anyone with any justification associate Islam with terrorism?

Islam has been subject to misinterpretation owing to ignorance of its true sources. The word Islam means peace. Islam was brought to bring peace and serenity to mankind. Unfortunately today the Muslim world’s psychology is based on defeat and fatalism. Muslims believe they are subject to injustice. Of course there is reason for this. They are probably frustrated because they live in poverty and no education, under the burden of centuries-old problems. For example the Arab-Israeli problem must have a lasting solution, because when problems are not resolved over time hatred and ensuing violence take over. The only way to reassure a hostile people, who believe the world’s justice system is founded on double standards, is to offer them education, love and justice. If standards normalize, people will return to their true values and contribute to world peace. There are religious references that preach tolerance, dialogue and sharing, but the problem of reaching such knowledge persists. We need to remove the obstacles in order to end the wave of fanaticism fed by ignorance".

Ekrem Dumanli, "Do Muslims know enough about Islam?", Today`s Zaman, 22.03.2007

i think there r a few reasons behind this tension 1-USA's imperialist foreign policies 2-İsrael's aggressiveness 3-some marjinal fundemantal İslamic organizations 4-silence of all other neutral countries... and i think the most important reason some of American's think theirself boss of all world,especially middle east.except this reason i believe most of Cristians and Muslims still in big tolerance to each other,just some wrong policies make higher this tension..end economical&developing inequality another important reason i think..