Comments on: Clash of Civilizations http://www.eccentricoptimism.com/?p=81 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:21:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: Nauman http://www.eccentricoptimism.com/?p=81#comment-2015 Wed, 11 Jul 2007 21:06:10 +0000 http://www.eccentricoptimism.com/?p=81#comment-2015 Nice writeup. I agree with Abdul Halim that this clash has more to do with resources and political power than ideology and culture. “A clash of civilizations would involve Muslims armies marching towards “Western” countries. Cities across the world would be burning and countless number of people would be dying. There would be destruction on an unprecedented scale.” The exact opposite of this is happening in the world today. Western armies are marching towards Islamic countries. Sometimes on the pretext that they are harboring terrorists or WMDs when in fact it is about oil and world domination. I cannot define the word “civilization” but the way I see it, it is religion in the form of identity and culture. It is a feeling of mutual goodwill and identifying with each other. As Abdul Halim said that it is about shared history, common ethos and a nostalgia about being a part of a civilization which once spanned from the shores of Atlantic to the Chinese Xinjiang (Pidram Sultan Bood :) But I agree that it is a very loose term and there are many sub-cultures within a civilization. Nice writeup. I agree with Abdul Halim that this clash has more to do with resources and political power than ideology and culture.

“A clash of civilizations would involve Muslims armies marching towards “Western” countries. Cities across the world would be burning and countless number of people would be dying. There would be destruction on an unprecedented scale.”

The exact opposite of this is happening in the world today. Western armies are marching towards Islamic countries. Sometimes on the pretext that they are harboring terrorists or WMDs when in fact it is about oil and world domination.

I cannot define the word “civilization” but the way I see it, it is religion in the form of identity and culture. It is a feeling of mutual goodwill and identifying with each other. As Abdul Halim said that it is about shared history, common ethos and a nostalgia about being a part of a civilization which once spanned from the shores of Atlantic to the Chinese Xinjiang (Pidram Sultan Bood :) But I agree that it is a very loose term and there are many sub-cultures within a civilization.

]]> by: cubano http://www.eccentricoptimism.com/?p=81#comment-1515 Mon, 28 May 2007 09:32:11 +0000 http://www.eccentricoptimism.com/?p=81#comment-1515 I am fairly light skinned and don't look like a 'typical' Indian or Pakistani. One of my friends thinks that I look Cuban and started calling me Cubano for fun. When I created this blog the first thing that came to my mind when thinking of a nick was Cubano. Btw, have you been to Cuba? I was in Cuba three years ago and I liked it a lot. I am fairly light skinned and don’t look like a ‘typical’ Indian or Pakistani. One of my friends thinks that I look Cuban and started calling me Cubano for fun. When I created this blog the first thing that came to my mind when thinking of a nick was Cubano.

Btw, have you been to Cuba? I was in Cuba three years ago and I liked it a lot.

]]> by: abdul-halim http://www.eccentricoptimism.com/?p=81#comment-1512 Mon, 28 May 2007 03:34:43 +0000 http://www.eccentricoptimism.com/?p=81#comment-1512 interesting post.... I have mixed feelings about the term "civilization". I agree with Raza that the clash theory hides more than it explains. I think that questions of war and peace have more to do with resources and political power than they have to do with ideology, culture or "civilization". But if you take all the Western/Christian/post=Christian countries together, they will share a common experience of coming out of the fall of the ancientRoman Empire, the rise of the "Holy" Roman Empire, and the Middle Ages, Reformation, Renaissance, Enlightenment, etc. On the other hand, if you take the Muslim lands, they will tend to share a common history which looks different: the rapid rise and growth of Islam, the Abassids, Umayads, etc. the Mughals, the loss of Islamic Spain, the collapse of the Ottomans, Western colonization, etc. so there are differences between civilizations which are real. But the important thing is to keep them in perspective and not use these differenecs as excuses for war. btw... why use the name "cubano"? (I'm cuban-american and am curious) interesting post….

I have mixed feelings about the term “civilization”. I agree with Raza that the clash theory hides more than it explains. I think that questions of war and peace have more to do with resources and political power than they have to do with ideology, culture or “civilization”.

But if you take all the Western/Christian/post=Christian countries together, they will share a common experience of coming out of the fall of the ancientRoman Empire, the rise of the “Holy” Roman Empire, and the Middle Ages, Reformation, Renaissance, Enlightenment, etc.

On the other hand, if you take the Muslim lands, they will tend to share a common history which looks different: the rapid rise and growth of Islam, the Abassids, Umayads, etc. the Mughals, the loss of Islamic Spain, the collapse of the Ottomans, Western colonization, etc.

so there are differences between civilizations which are real. But the important thing is to keep them in perspective and not use these differenecs as excuses for war.

btw… why use the name “cubano”? (I’m cuban-american and am curious)

]]> by: Raza Rumi http://www.eccentricoptimism.com/?p=81#comment-126 Tue, 20 Feb 2007 16:36:25 +0000 http://www.eccentricoptimism.com/?p=81#comment-126 Insightful and most interesting..I agree with your point - this clash theory is too simplistic and hides more than it explains anything.. thanks for the post... keep writing. Insightful and most interesting..I agree with your point - this clash theory is too simplistic and hides more than it explains anything..
thanks for the post…
keep writing.

]]> by: Myth about Islamic Civilization at Blogbharti http://www.eccentricoptimism.com/?p=81#comment-104 Sun, 18 Feb 2007 19:39:08 +0000 http://www.eccentricoptimism.com/?p=81#comment-104 [...] Cubano writes about the myth of the so called Islamic civilization and talks about the misuse of the term “clash of civilization” If we can first clearly define what a civilization is and what exactly the two opposing civilizations represent then may be we can start to discuss whether they are clashing. In my opinion, the clash of civilizations is a term that is general enough to be used to create a division between the Western world and all Muslims in the world and it is an excuse to legitimize discrimination. This way any country or society can be a target as long as they are Muslim and thus part of the ‘Islamic civilization’. [...] […] Cubano writes about the myth of the so called Islamic civilization and talks about the misuse of the term “clash of civilization” If we can first clearly define what a civilization is and what exactly the two opposing civilizations represent then may be we can start to discuss whether they are clashing. In my opinion, the clash of civilizations is a term that is general enough to be used to create a division between the Western world and all Muslims in the world and it is an excuse to legitimize discrimination. This way any country or society can be a target as long as they are Muslim and thus part of the ‘Islamic civilization’. […]

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