Lewis ends his article with a section titled "A Clash of Civilizations." Here he finally explains the real cause of Muslim animosity toward the West: jealousy and humiliation in light of the dominance of Western civilization. Two Western developments in particular, secularism and modernism, have been the specific targets of Muslim anger.

QUESTION: Worth interrogating whether this explanation is reductive or fair; the clash thesis as framed by Lewis invites critical examination.

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 218