clash of civilisations, media study, bias, IS, Islamic State, Samuel Huntington, Arab, revolution, Arab Spring, fighting, insurgency, war, questioning, critical thinking, reporting, truth, Syria, conflict, clash, Huntington, News, Democracy, struggle, Muslim, year 12 English,

1. Understanding
Conflict in the
Middle East
Year 12 English
jillmargerison@drjmargerison
jill.margerison@tss.qld.edu.au

2. Curious about the conflict?
How do we understand the
conflict in the Middle East?
“Roots of Muslim Rage”
Does Islam have
“bloody borders?”
Is this a “clash of civilisations?”
Samuel Huntington

3. Thinking about your sources?
When sourcing articles in Google remember to use country codes
eg site:sy arab spring
site:ir - iran site:fr - France site:eg - Egypt site:tn Tunisia

4. “Roots of Muslim Rage” (1990)
Bernard Lewis theorized about West and Islam in 1990
publication suggesting clash would occur due to
1. lost domination in world to advancing power of
West
2. Muslim authority undermined in own countries
3. Mastery in own houses challenged by
emancipated women and rebellious children
Samuel Huntington further elaborated and expanded
upon Lewis’s work contending that in Post Cold War
era there would be large scale conflict between seven
to eight major civilisations - particularly between the
West and non-West

5. Muslim and Christian societies
Sharp decline of tolerance in
1980s and 1990s between
Muslims and Christians
This came at time - collapse of
communism
Collapse removed a common
enemy of West and Islam

6. “Clash of Civilisations” Huntington (1993)
Prediction - future wars
between different
civilisations
Argued that key question
not
“Which side were you on?”
but
“What are culture are you?”

7. “Clash of Civilisations” Huntington (1993)
Muslim population growth =
large numbers unemployed &
disaffected youth
Recruits to the Islamist cause -
many migrate to West
Increasing contact between
Muslims and Westerns highlight
and in some cases exacerbate
differences

8. “Arab Spring”
Began in Tunisia
December 2010
Mohammad Bouazizi set
himself on fire because
police had confiscated his
card and beaten him when
he complained

9. Prior to Arab Spring ?
Iranians experienced “green
movement” after disrupted
presidential election in 2009
Authoritarian and tyrannical
regime
uprising peaceful - public wanted
a vote
Iran’s first real civil rights
movement - this became
inspirational for others in
neighbouring countries

10. Countries involved in unrest
Iran, Tunisia,
Egypt, Libya,
Jordan, Yemen,
Morocco, Bahrain
and Syria

11. By end of 2011 - Arab Spring
Governments overthrown
Tunisia - Ben Ali
Egypt - Mubarak
Libya - Gaddafi
New era where Islam is
coming under the context and
conditions of a democracy

12. How did “Arab Spring” develop strength?
Qatari based Al-Jazeera, YouTube, Twitter,

13. What do people want?
Economic and employment opportunities
Greater accountability from government
Tackle corruption
Rule of law re freedom, democracy and
human rights
Not necessarily clash against civilisations but
awakening of Arab people for civil and
human rights

14. Religion - supportive identity?
Is there an identity crisis for many Muslims?
Thousands of Muslims are dying in clashes
with their Muslim governments - not with the
West
What would Huntington make of this?
Identity crisis for Muslims?

15. Modernization and 21st Century
industrialization
urbanisation
increasing levels of
literacy and education
social mobilisation
universal access to
technology
ability to interact on a
wide scale

16. Morphing Identity?
Whilst Huntington suggests that
Islamic identity creates the impetus
for clash and conflict - we have to
acknowledge that the Islamic identity
for young Muslims can change and
develop
Also Islamic democracy and freedom
may not develop to mimic that of the
West

17. Clash and Conflict
Political awakening
Clash of two civilisations or clash of eras
Freedom and oppression
Democracy and dictatorship
West as a scapegoat to maintain a stability ?
Above image from Jocelyne Cesari’s book The Awakening of Muslim Democracy: Religion, Modernity and the State

18. Al-Jazeera TV Feb 21 2006
The clash we are witnessing around the
world is not a clash of religions or a clash of
civilizations. It is a clash between two opposites,
between eras. It is a clash between a mentality that
belongs to the Middle Ages and another mentality
that belongs to the 21th century. It is a clash
between civilization and backwardness, between
the civilized and the primitive, between barbarity
and rationality. It is a clash between freedom and
oppression, between democracy and dictatorship.
It is a clash between human rights, on the one
hand, and violation of the rights, on the other
hand. It is a clash between those who treat women
like beasts, and those who treat them like human
beings.” (Al-Jazeera TV, Feb 21, 2006).
Source http://societieswithoutborders.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/kashefifinal2013-9-17.pdf

19. What is the clash really about?
Revolution?
Freedom?
Oppression?
Better economic justice
and socio-economic
conditions for the people