"Islam & the West" - Treatment

The documentary, Islam and the West will examine the relationship between the Islamic and Western worlds, revealing through historical analysis, political dialogue, and religious study a complex and dynamic connection. Specifically, this film hopes to dispel the common misconceptions that exist within each civilization with respect to the other. It will illuminate the major issues that the Islamic world should learn about the West, and those that the West should understand about Islam. Interviews with global leaders in the civic, social, and intellectual arenas will not only highlight a great deal of essential, shared values, but also more importantly chart the path forward towards reconciliation.

In unraveling the history of this relationship, Islam and the West will show how former clashes of politics and ideology still shape current attitudes. This initial historical analysis will be brief, and limited to those events that have directly impacted the current geographic, demographic, and psychological standing of each civilization as it exists today. With this grounding, the film can move forward with interviews from academics, politicians, and religious scholars that will serve as an overarching framework. Their analysis will be supplemented by more common voices from the Western and Muslim worlds, and story segments will contextualize and personalize the academic perspective.

Islam and the West will bring audiences from the government halls of Washington D.C., to universities in the Middle East, to the homes of families in Southeast Asia. In this way, the realities of both sides might become more immediate and more relatable. For example, a discussion addressing the rise of radical, political Islam might be supplemented by a story in Turkey or Malaysia, countering the notion Islam is a religion confined to the Middle East and incompatible with democracy. Similarly, an examination of inconsistent Western foreign policy decisions might be answered by contemporary American politicians working with a new perspective on diplomacy and collaboration.  Though each side may voice its own legitimate fears and suspicions, the film will be careful to show that there is a possibility for changing perspectives in this relationship.

As another educational component, the film will consider the religious and practical differences between Islamic and Western cultures, while also underscoring the many commonalities that exist between them.  The Western viewer will witness the different manifestations of Islam in government, spiritual belief, and religious tradition. The Muslim audience will learn of a dynamic Western culture, and also see the many varieties of a flourishing “secular society.” Indeed, the film will be careful to distinguish among the many cultures and peoples that are encompassed in the problematic designations, “Islam” and “The West.” Instead, Islam and the West will shed light on what is in fact a nuanced, multi-partner relationship.