The idea of a clash of civilizations can be originated largely to Samuel Huntington. He describes a future where the majority of human conflicts will be due to “cultural differences”. (Huntington). In The Butterfly Mosque, Willow Wilson, an American, travels to Egypt, converts to Islam, and marries an Egyptian man. This places her at the fault lines of two cultures. Through her experiences, she sees the frontlines of this clash of civilizations that Huntington predicted, and tries to uncover if she can thread the needle between her two cultures. In this paper, I will argue that through her experiences with Muslims in Tura, other Westerners in Egypt, and in reactions to her writings, she discovers that the clash of civilizations is real. This clash results in cruelty, fear, self-hatred, and an internal existential crisis in Willow that leaves her uncertain about whether or not she can navigate her internal clash of cultures.
Willow’s experiences in Tura with Muslims demonstrated the Muslim response to Western culture. In Tura, she is surrounded by a much more conservative group of people than were in Cairo. She felt the “anger” that people had towards the West (120). Between the West and Arabic cultures, there was “a pit full of dangers: poverty, terrorism, wars of attrition, racism, colonialism, and malice” (119). This bred distrust, and it was palpable to Willow. Between many of the inhabitants of Tura to Willow, there was a lack of compassion or care given to her. One
The hypostyle mosque was designed to support the Islamic religious practices, and it was often referred to as a big prayer room. It gave the Muslims many advantages when it came to their cultural religious ways. It was the place where Muslims got together for prayer, to study, and celebrate. Islamic hypostyle buildings were made of stone, and most of the hypostyle mosques were square, or rectangular, the columns were put together using a grid pattern. The prayer hall has a roof, a courtyard, and open pillars along the sides. The hypostyle mosque structure supports the roof, which is flat, while the cool air circulates. It was a very unique building style that aided the Muslims in prayer. The hypostyle mosque was a place to hold large crowds
When analyzing the current relationship between eastern and western cultures, it seems as if tensions and conflict arise from a complex and layered set of problems. These issues range from political, economic and military stances to opposing cultural beliefs. The genesis of these
We are generally focusing this research on the time before 1500 CE, but the same concept of comparing different cultures to each other to gain a more inclusive perspective of the human experience remains applicable in any time period, from the birth of humanity to the present day. Historical and cultural comparisons can be used to gain a better, more complete understanding of the modern world. By looking outside of one’s own individual experiences, one can find a more comprehensive understanding of the world. Right now, here in the United States, there is a huge political divide that is, ultimately, a controversy over whether or not we should accept other cultures and beliefs. This has led to a growing tension among the people of this country that is just waiting to break free of its confines—this was extremely apparent in the recent presidential election. I freely admit to bias—I am firmly entrenched on one side of this great political divide—but if everyone one could just come to understand other people, people who are noticeably different then themselves, a little better, to embrace differences rather than fear them, we could work to narrow this gaping schism. Maybe then, life might be a little bit brighter for us
As a result, the native citizens may develop the prejudice against the immigrants because of the disparity and the diversity of cultures (Castles, Stephen, Haas, and Miller 18). Alternatively, it is true that individuals cannot believe in strangers until they are confident of their traits irrespective of whether they have good intentions or not. Therefore, the difference in the level of civilization may cause conflicts among the individuals because there is no shared understanding and trust. Also, people may clash or oppose each other’s opinions more often when they have different backgrounds since neither of them would allow criticism and discrimination all the time. The incidences are practical in many places such as the institutions of learning where individuals from different cultures may be considered enemies. Similarly, it is common in the work areas where employees segregation regarding cultural background (Castles, Stephen, Haas, and Miller 18). Moreover, the lack of trust may develop a due lack of a common language or type of religion, for an instant, the Muslims believe to be radical in terrorism all over the
The authors of The Bridge Betrayed and The Buddhas of Bamiyan both identify a different form of cultural eradication that occurred in within the past twenty-five years. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Serbs and Croats wanted to destroy the Bosnian Muslim symbols, culture, and population. In Afghanistan, the Taliban destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan, and in turn, changed the identity of Bamiyan forever. The practice of cultural eradication is not limited to these two cases. Cultural eradication has taken place throughout history involving one group’s desire to transform, absorb, and destroy a particular culture and its’ values. The desire for destruction may seem similar, however, the individual agendas that drive the eradication vary in each instance. Michael Sells explores the nationalism that is expressed by the Serbs and Croats in Bosnia that he refers to as Christoslavism. Llewlyn Morgan discusses the Taliban’s iconoclastic and political motivations to destroy the Buddhas. Both examples ultimately analyze some of the many dimensions of cultural eradication in the world.
With the great diversity in the world disagreements over race and religion are ubiquitous. Consequently, opinions over these subjects are the biggest contributors to war and bloodshed. Changes made in long standing traditions were greeted with hostility. Religion and Absolutism caused disharmony in European countries as well as strife over religion and government.
It is typical for Americans and the world in general to judge people from North Africa, particularly Arabs. This they do without actually walking in their shoes and living their lives. In particular, after the wave of terrorism that hit the United States and the world at large since the turn of the century, there has been a negative perception towards North Africans and the Arab world at large. It is for this reason that Julia Clancy-smith took a trip to Algeria and Tunisia in order to give the world an unbiased view of the world in which North Africans live (Clancy-Smith 50). The author focused on the political and religious actions of those considered the Muslim and their followers. Additionally, she gives a detailed analysis of the accommodation and resistance to the colonial rule. She rejects the popular position that Tunisians and Algerians were victims of colonial aggression from the west and argued instead that Muslim notables actually understood the complications of the outside world and were therefore, able to manipulate the changes that were taking place around them. This paper is focused on reviewing this book in the context of the twenty first century.
Next, my mother told me this mosque is the biggest one, and the second religious buildings, also it has the tallest minaret in the world. This mosque has a roof made of light steel, and decorated with cedar wood which opens in 3 minutes for bringing fresh air during the summer. Also, this mosque has many chandeliers made in crystal. The location of this mosque is right by the sea overlooking the Atlantic ocean,
For cultures to coexist peacefully, socially and economically, it is extremely beneficial to understand the core beliefs that exist within those cultures. As already explained, the strong influence that origin stories have on their respective cultures, explains the unique lifestyle that may be diverse and rich in how people groups determine what their culture will look like and represent. A coming together of two cultures with opposing or different cultural heritages, can create more conflict and misunderstanding, given the sensitive nature of their belief system especially when an aspect of the divine or spiritual nature of their heritage is desecrated.
Human history has demonstrated that conflict is inevitable. As long as there are differences of opinion, there is fuel for anything from a brief argument to a war that lasts for years. This truth prevails through ancient history and modern day issues. Over time, conflicts grow, compound, and set the archetypal stages for new issues to be born: conflicts between the rich and poor, the religious and political, the loyalists and rebels, and particularly, the East and West. Since people acknowledged those living in opposite sides of the world, the assumption that they themselves were opposites followed. Often, each thought the other was barbarian, an enemy, and would
The world has a variety of cultures and religions, and in this generation these different cultures mix. It is not easy for some people to accept these different faiths and morals, however they learn to day by day. In books such as House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III and The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, the authors’ convey the theme of “the clash of cultures.” Writing books about different cultures and the struggle of their acceptance, is crucial for modern society because it gives the world a realistic view on what is actually happening. Perhaps the message the authors’ are trying to send with the theme of culture clash, is that because of all the different cultures, people should learn to accept the variety.
The sound of new culture and beginnings filling the air. The different cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, accents and flags fill the air. Millions of people new to each other and the land rush to find and establishes a living and home. Despite all the new citizens abundant differences, there is one thing that unites each side of the population, Religion. If between one million Christians and one million Jews have come to a new land together, we would think that the level of religious conflict would not be too high since given Judaism’s past, Christianity’s evangelical intentions and fact that it has been done is some shape and form, but thing are not always as they appear, or we think we know.
Samuel Huntington sees an emerging world organized on the basis of "civilizations". Societies that share cultural affinities cooperate with each other and the efforts to force a society into another civilization will fail; countries gather around the leading States of their civilization. This description of the process of new structures of international relations that Huntington sees developing, leads him to consider that the greatest risks of violence and confrontation lie in the Westerns’ claims to universality, which are leading them to increasingly get into conflict with other civilizations, particularly Islam and China; local conflicts, especially between Muslims and non-Muslims, generate new alliances and lead to an escalation of violence, which will usually lead the dominant states to make an attempt to stop them.
Since many religions have started in the Middle East, it has become the center for erupting conflicts. For instance, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been in the news for many reasons. Both groups want control of the God given land that they both claim is theirs, according to God, and what had happened in the past. The result of the conflict is religious terrorism (PBS, 1). Continuing, some Middle Eastern politics have been in conflict, even dividing communities of the
In this paper, John Perkins’ intentions in writing this book will be reflected upon. Throughout the text, it will further reflect some of the stories of the voices from below mentioned by Perkins and link them with the questions that came into mind while reading. This team’s own opinions and thoughts will be addressed. This team consists of individuals with various professional and cultural backgrounds, including multiple religions, such as Islam and Christianity. Consisting primarily of western countries, including the U.S., Germany, Norway,