HOLY WAR PB

Are We Facing A Clash of Civilisations? Tensions between the West and the Muslim world run high. Some Western media equate Muslims with fundamentalists - a serious error. Nevertheless, in Muslim countries, anger with the West is widely seen as justified, particularly for the West's tolerance of injustices in Palestine. While grievances persist, there will be no shortage of willing Muslim martyrs, or Muslim attacks on Western targets. What drives the Islamist agenda? How should Christians respond to aggressive Islam? Islam itself tends towards fundamentalism. The Prophet Muhammad gained control of the holy site of Mecca by the sword. By the sword's equivalent today some Muslims seek to fulfil their interpretation of God's will. Dr Musk details the fundamentalist convictions, contemporary examples, and key figures, addressing central questions: - Where does authority lie in Islam? - How can reform movements develop? - How do 'non-fundamentalist' Muslims view Islamists? - Can the West accommodate resurgent Islam? - Are all contemporary faiths streaked with a fundamentalist dye? 'The challenge of the 21st century,' he comments, 'is to draw back from seeing Muslims or Islam as the enemy. The kingdom of God grows in people's hearts, not via the sword but via the Cross.'