The Myth of the Clash of Civilizations: Political Islam in Indonesia and Iran

Lily Winter " Islam's borders are bloody, and so are its innards. " (Huntington 1996: 258) " The insistence, if only implicitly, on a choice-less singularity of human identity not only diminishes us all, it also makes the world much more flammable. " (Sen 5) " If you want to know whether Islam, democracy, modernity and women's rights can coexist, go to Indonesia. " (Hillary Clinton, qtd. in Kurlantzick 1) During the research process of this paper, I attempted to explain my research findings to a friend. I told him that this past year Indonesia had elected a secular president and majority secular parties to the legislature. In reply, he said, " So then is Indonesia less Islamic now? " Underlying this question is the assumption that Islam is inherently problematic, inherently dangerous, and leads to radical politics. This assumption is present throughout society, beneath stereotypes that are often difficult to perceive. The task of this project, therefore, is to uncover this type of thinking and replace it with a new vision of political Islam that is more inclusive. The stereotypical view of Islam does not take into account many important cultural and political factors that help to shape Islamic societies. Nor does it acknowledge the wide diversity within Islamic