Pratt, D. (2005). Islam in the contemporary world: Western image and Muslim ideology. Paper presented at the Social and Cultural Studies Seminar, Massey University, Albany Campus, 27 July 2005.
Abstract
The issue of Western perceptions of Islam, and concerns about Islamic ideology vis-à-vis the relation of Muslims to the West, constitute topics of ongoing concern both for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. They have come to the fore in a dramatic sense this century with the terrorist attacks in America on September 11, 2001, and the recent bombings in London, together with many events of global significance in between.
For the purpose of this seminar I want to do two things. First, I shall undertake a critical review of some key dimensions of Western perceptions of Islam. Second, I shall outline the broad range of ideological options that have arisen in the modern era in order to highlight shifts of focus and emphasis that have occurred over the last century. I shall end with the question of the present moment: where is Islam heading?
