Islam and the West One of the most significant ways the world has changed since the terrible crime of September 11 has been a new rise of an ugly strain of Islamophobia throughout the Western world. Amid the terrible agony of the recent terror attack in Bali, it is easy to be tempted, once again, by angry thoughts. The pattern is there: from the horror of 9/11, to the suicide/homicide bombings in Israel, to the flaming …showed first 75 words of 521 total…

…showed last 75 words of 521 total…that today are often marginalized or even intimidated. The hype about Islamophobia cannot be good for any of us. It encourages Muslims to live in fear of attack, and to blow everyday incidents out of proportion. It also stifles debate and engagement between Muslims and non-Muslims. Islamophobia represents a serious threat to the idea of multiculturalism, and even to the ideas of religious and ethnic toleration, that the Netherlands has witnessed for very many years.