In the year since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, questions about Islam - its nature, its distinctive identity, its potential threat to the West - have seized center stage in intellectual and political debates. While the 20th century's major conflicts - with fascism, communism, and other "isms" - were primarily ideological, the terrorism of last September 11th posed anew the specter of "culture wars" and "clashes of civilizations."
In the year since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, questions about Islam - its nature, its distinctive identity, its potential threat to the West - have seized center stage in intellectual and political debates. While the 20th century's major conflicts - with fascism, communism, and other "isms" - were primarily ideological, the terrorism of last September 11th posed anew the specter of "culture wars" and "clashes of civilizations."