Sadik J. Al-Azm

is a religious critic from Syria. He currently teaches in Antwerp, Belgium and is a strong supporter of the separation of church and state. He was the 2004 winner of the Erasmus Prize, awarded every year since 1958 under the patronage of the Dutch royal family in recognition of achievements in the cultural and social sector.

Articles

Time out of joint

Western dominance, Islamist terror, and the Arab imagination

Sadik J. Al-Azm looks at the reactions to September 11 in the Arab world and explains them in contrast to Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations. He points out that the Arab world can barely “clash” with the West due to the vast difference in power between the two, and he also questions the reasons for this “clash”, seeing things like politics and vital interests as stronger catalysts than purely spiritual ideals.