Culture clash rhetoric frames Islam as an immutable, biology-like mindset prone to barbarism

Evidence

An unwavering story of culture clash holds sway where, as one commentator pointed out, September 11 is seen simply as ‘the product of an insane, fundamentalist culture and irredeemably evil at heart. ‘35 We are invited into this construction of events from the usage of words like ‘medievalist’ and ‘mindset.’ The Islamic mindset (something that sounds as immutable as biology), Taylor writes, citing Karen Armstrong and noted Orientalist scholar Bernard Lewis and stressing the treatment of women in Islamic countries, is one prone to barbarism. Islam’s alleged lack of separation between religion and community, its roots in ‘a semi-nomadic tribal culture,’ and the overwhelming poverty of the Middle East, which can only be blamed on the region’s ‘prohibition against women working and the fundamentalist wish to sever ties with the rest of the world,’ all amount to a potent mix. — Sherene Razack, Casting Out, 216

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Edward Said’s Orientalism and the ‘clash of civilizations’ thesis of Huntington, which the reader likely knows from other sources on post-9/11 discourse.
• DEFINE: Defines the load-bearing concept of ‘culture clash’ as used by Taylor, showing how it functions as racist shorthand rather than neutral description.