The Islam-Judaism Clash of Civilizations Essay - 2541 Words

On the streets of Jerusalem, in the rubble of Ramallah, in synagogues, in mosques, in the hearts and minds of millions in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the remainder of Israel, Israelis and Palestinians are locked in a clash of civilizations. In his masterful work, The Clash of Civilizations, Samuel L. Huntington outlines a theory which approaches international politics on the scale of civilizations. However, he circumvents discussion about Israel. Huntington cautiously describes Israel as a â€Å"non-Western† (Huntington 90) country, but identifies the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as one along a fault line between civilizations (267). Though he chooses to avoid the issue, Huntington’s theory provides a groundwork for analyzing the†¦show more content†¦Huntington’s thought parallels the observations of Mordecai Kaplan, a famous American Jew. In 1934, Kaplan wrote Judaism as a Civilization in which he described Jewish identity withering away among se cond generation Jewish immigrants in the United States as they were assimilated into American culture. Kaplan wrote this book fourteen years before the creation of Israel. I would argue that, contrary to Huntington’s opinion, the relatively recent addition Israel has revitalized the Jewish sense of common identity. Kaplan’s observations have become dated. With Israel as its core state, Judaism has a legitimate claim to civilization status. As it stands, Islam poses a clear and present danger to Judaism. Huntington paints a gloomy picture for Israel: â€Å"Wherever one looks along the perimeter of Islam, Muslims have problems living peaceably with their neighbors† (256). Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, all Muslim countries, surround Israel. Huntington claims that â€Å"Islam’s borders are bloody, and so are its innards† (258), taking into account both the history of internal and external wars within and between Muslim countries. Israel has engaged in official war with Muslim countries in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, and 1982. It has also been a target of guerilla warfare and terrorism, especially during the firstShow MoreRelatedâ€Å"Clash of Civilizations† Essay examples980 Words   |  4 PagesRealism is the contrast of the Idealist conception that society can change on the foundation of an idea. The â€Å"Clash of Civilizations† by Samuel Huntington is a brilliant illustration that e xhibits the power of ideas that has vastly influenced both foreign policies of countries, but also the discipline of International Relations. Samuel Huntingtons â€Å"the clash of civilizations,† is based on the hypothesis: â€Å"In the post-Cold War world the most important distinctions among people are not ideologicalRead MoreThe Clash of Civilization (Samuel Huntington Article Review) Essay945 Words   |  4 Pagestitled the Clash of Civilization written by Samuel Huntington tries to analyze the world after the cold war. Huntington in his thesis clearly states that the new era of world politics will not be based on conflicts occurring due to ideological or economic clashes amongst states, but rather the dominating source of conflict will be cultural. Huntington proposes that instead of classifying countries into first, second or third worlds, one should classify countries in terms of their civilization. He definesRead MoreThe Clash Of Civilisations By Samuel Huntington1110 Words   |  5 Pages‘The Clash of Civilisations , argues a new concept predicting the primary origin of future conflicts. 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Huntington went on from there to give a very well structured argument, that was organized into 5 main parts: A World of Civilizations, The Shifting Balance of Civilizations, The Emerging Order of Civilizations, The Clash of Civilizations, and the Future of Civilizations. Huntington started the first section by giving the â€Å"map of civilizations† argument and describing who was in which group. He named 8 groups: Sinic, Japanese, Hindu, Western, Africa, Islamic, Orthodox, and LatinRead MoreEssay on Terror in America2378 Words   |  10 Pagescontinued in his familys footsteps and studied civil engineering. Feeling a connection to the Islamic holy places his father restored, Bin Laden feels that the United States and Israel, or the Crusader-Jewish alliance has attacked the countries of Islam by threatening the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. 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