The Mistaken Identification of “The West” with “Modernity”

Abstract

The relationships between Islam and the West are complex. Even the
perceptions of those relations have an important impact on the nature of
the interactions. If the basic images that are used in discussing “Islam and
the West” are themselves ill-defiied or viewed in inconsistent ways, the
relationships themselves are affected in sometimes dangerous ways.
Inconsistent and contradictory terms of analysis can lead to misunderstanding
and conflict.
One of the most frequent conceptual mistakes made in discussing
Islam and the West in the modem era is the identification of “the West”
with “modemity.” This mistake has a significant impact on the way pee
ple view the processes of modernization in the Islamic world as well as on
the way people interpret the relationships between Islam and the West in
the contemporary era.
The basic generalizations resulting from the following analysis can be
stated simply: 1) “modernity“ is not uniquely “western”; 2) “the West” is
not simply “modernity”; and 3) the identifixation of “the West” with
“modemity” has important negative consequences for understanding the
relationships between Islam and the West. Modernity and the West are
two different concepts and historic entities. To use the terms interchangeably
is to invite unnecessary confusion and create possible conflict’and
inconsistency. This article will address the problem of definition and the
application of the defined terms to interpreting actual experiences and
relationships.
Understanding the difficulties raised by the identification of the
West with modernity involves a broader analysis within the framework
of world history and global historical perspectives. In such an analysis, ...