A Clash of Cultures: The Views of Americans and the Views of Muslims

• Culture clash that remains most prominent is between the West and the Muslim world.

• Western perceptions are from historical memories.

• Historical conflicts between the two cultures are stressed more often than the cooperation and similarities between them.

• The Crusades in 1096 started the culture clash between the West and the Muslim world.

• The Crusades symbolized the West's hatred for Muslims and Islam, and continues to fuel the fire for hatred of the West today.

• Pope Urban II in 1095 urged European Christians to solidify their faith by taking up arms against the infidels (mainly Muslims) and force them out of Jerusalem.

• Crusaders believed that Jews had killed Christ and slaughtered them on the way to fight Muslims, who they were unsure about.

• There is an Islamic belief that the West is continuing to attack Islam and many Muslims feel it necessary to engage in jihad (holy war) against unbelievers.

• When Israel was established in 1948, the West and the Muslim world were clashing once again.

Americans Views on the Muslim World

• Most Americans do not have close relationships with the Muslim world and do not know much about them, historically or culturally.

• Very few feel we share commonalities with them.

• Americans generally rely on negative stereotypes when dealing with Muslims.

• Arab oil embargo and the 9/11 attacks have reinforced negative views of the Muslim world.

• Stereotypes such as Muslims being dangerous, untrustworthy, immoral, undemocratic, barbaric, and primitive were only reinforced by Iraq's Saddam Hussein.

• The United States relies on force to fix conflicts in international relations.

• The war is between "good and evil."