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Does the Violence in the Middle East Have to Do with Islam?

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Since the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, a large focus of the Western Powers, like the United States, has been on the Middle East. Out of this has come a conclusion that this area of the world is prone to be more violent than other parts and this is largely to due to the Islamic religion. This the West has concluded in large part through observation coupled with some qualitative data. However, is this, an adequate assertion of the area, and of the religion of Islam? To begin various types of violence will be explored quantitatively and qualitatively to see if there is a difference in the level of violence seen in the Middle East as compared to other Western States. Once it has been determined if there exists a difference in the amount of violence in the Middle East, as compared to other Western States, it than shall be explored to see what role Islam may play in it.
Definitions
Before the levels of violence can be explored and compared, a couple of definitions need to be defined. The first of which is "Western States," for the purpose of this paper this shall be those in Western Europe, most notably England, France, and Germany, and also include the United States and Canada in North America. The reason why these States will be used is these there is ample data to be used for comparison purposes. In addition, these nations are mostly recognized as being some of the most developed when it comes to all aspects of society. Lastly, the Middle East, for

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