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The sixth chapter begins by noting that Islam, of all the Eastern religions, is closest to the West. Nevertheless, this is not connected with all aspects of Islam but only with geographical and, to a lesser extent, ideological ones. Smith (2009) notes that although Islam is in the Abrahamic family of religions, it is philosophically more similar to the Greek one (p. 221). However, despite being so close to Western civilization, Islam is the most difficult religion to understand in Western countries. In support of his words, Smith (2009) quotes an American columnist who says that Islam is most of all misunderstood and interpreted. Later, Smith (2009) explains successively that common borders with Islamic countries often led to disputes over where this borderline should be drawn, which turned out to be an escalation of conflicts, raids, and counteroffensives, and in the end, often escalated into constant hostility.
Despite the completeness of this chapter, it still raises some questions related to Islam. Firstly, the author does not specify what kind of general boundaries he is talking about. Secondly, what are the reasons for the emergence of conflicts other than disputes and territory, and in which countries do they arise. In the first case, Smith (2009) is most likely talking about such countries as Turkey, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Sudan, Chad, Somalia, and Niger. As for the second question, the conflicts in some cases were associated with the competition between the religions of Christianity and Islam and also confrontations of an ethnopolitical nature. The most severe clashes occurred in the Sudan-Sahel corridor and in the countries of the Lake Chad basin. Nevertheless, the passage ends with the fact that the author finds positive aspects. An example is Mauritanian Spain, where Christians, Muslims, and Jews get along together.
Reference
Smith, H. & Marranca, R. (2009). The worlds religions. 50th anniversary ed. HarperOne.
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