Islam and its relationship with the Western world: A historical analysis from the Turkish perspective and in the context of the events of 9/11

Abstract

Islam is possibly the most misunderstood and misunderstood religion in the world. Every day we listen to people, especially Western people, talk dismissively about this religion and its customs. Not a day goes by without an article or news coming out in a Western newspaper that unfairly judges Islamism. Many people have a certain fear of this religion, categorized by many as a backward, oppressive and mostly fundamentalist religion. The distorted view that has been given of Islam, especially since the events of September 11, 2001, is why I decided to write my reflections and do this work.
In order to clarify the most common doubts and some controversial facts, I try to give an objective historical perspective in this work (with the help of Karen Armstrong, in her excellent work "Islam - A Short History", especially in the historical part) in which I also mention the current problems of Islamism, fundamentalism, and the current steps towards a healthy development of the Muslim world. Then I link it to the current juncture so that I can understand the roots of the problems of Islamism and the conflicts between Islamism and the Western world. Finally, I end up with some suggestions on how these issues can be fixed.