A Religious and Cultural Clash or a Tribal Showdown - Analysing the Danish Cartoons Crisis.

16:07, Tue 24 Oct 2006

Length: 25 minutes The publication of cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten has triggered violent protests across the world. The cartoons, which have been reprinted in a number of European papers, have angered Muslims and focussed attention on the fragile relationships between Islamic countries and the West. Do the cartoons represent a fundamental difference in the religious and cultural values of the two communities or is the current crisis the latest manifestation of a more earthly tribalism between national and regional interests? Does our shared cultural and philosophical heritage mean we actually have more in common than might be immediately apparant? Dr. Hisham Hellyer is an Associate Fellow at the Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations, University of Warwick. After completing degrees in Law and International Political Economy, he completed a doctoral study of the European Union and its Muslim populations that was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (UK), and due to be published in 2006 under the title of "The European 'Other'". A research consultant and social policy analyst, Dr Hellyer is presently engaged in research on contemporary Muslim communities.

(MP3 format, 23 MB)

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