Islam Through Western Eyes: From the Crusades to the War on Terrorism
Lyons regards Pope Urban II’s address to the Council of Clermont in 1095, launching the First Crusade, as a defining moment in the West’s view of Islam. Prior to that time, the West had little, if any, idea of Islam. Lyons argues that Urban’s speech began an anti-Islam discourse that has continued intact and unabated in the West ever since. Developed and perpetuated by elites in the church, Western governments, the academy, and the present-day media for their own social, political, and economic advancement, it is a discourse that presents Islam as irrational, violent, immoral, and set on the West’s destruction. Unless the West changes its internal dialogue, its encounter with Islam will not allow for negotiation, only violence. Academic in accent, accessible, and at times tinged with contempt and bitterness, Lyons’ work nevertheless offers an excellent and engaging opportunity for critical self-reflection. Although the influence of the media, the imprimatur of the academy, and government spin cannot be underestimated, Lyons should also recognize that decent non-elites might not be so easily duped. --Christopher McConnell