At its heart, Said’s critique challenges the motivations of those, including Lewis and Huntington, who rely on a clash of civilizations paradigm to make sense of the world in general and the relationship between Islam and the West in particular. Such a paradigm feeds on conflict and division, thereby “increasing the rifts between people in order to prolong our dominance.” What we need is not conflict but community, not a clash but a coming together of people across cultural barriers to face the dangers that threaten the entire human race.

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 233