--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Muslims naturally saw Christendom as…" description: "\"Muslims naturally saw Christendom as their arch rival. One point that is really important to bear in mind, particularly in addressing an American audie..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/bernard-lewis-11653_audience_muslims-naturally-saw-christendom-as-the_1010235.jpg" --- # Muslims naturally saw Christendom as their arch rival. One… ![“Muslims naturally saw Christendom as their arch rival. One point that is really important to bear in mind, particularly in addressing an American audience, and that is that the Islamic world has a very strong sense of history. In the Muslim world, history is important and their knowledge of…” quote by Bernard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/bernard-lewis-11653_audience_muslims-naturally-saw-christendom-as-the_1010235.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/bernard-lewis-11653_audience_muslims-naturally-saw-christendom-as-the_1010235.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee4/bernard-lewis-11653_audience_muslims-naturally-saw-christendom-as-the_1010235.jpg) > “Muslims naturally saw Christendom as their arch rival. One point that is really important to bear in mind, particularly in addressing an American audience, and that is that the Islamic world has a very strong sense of history. In the Muslim world, history is important and their knowledge of history is not always accurate but is very detailed. There is a strong historical sense in the Muslim world, a feeling for the history of Islam from the time of the Prophet until the present day.” [Bernard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lewis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Muslim societies view history as a detailed, identity‑shaping narrative, influencing contemporary perspectives and interactions. **In simple terms:** History shapes Muslim identity. Key Takeaway Recognize historical influence. Themes culture identity history perception dialogue Mood reflective critical Type historical analytical When to use this quote - policy making - educational programs - media commentary - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts Historical consciousness civilizational analysis intercultural relations Questions to Reflect On - How does history affect current Muslim‑Western relations? - What role does accurate history play in dialogue? A Different Perspective Historical narratives may be selective or biased. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Islamic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islamic/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Muslim world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muslim-world/) [Present day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-day/) [Prophet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophet/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-history/) ## Related quotes > [“For much of the history of Islam, moreover, the Christian world was not noticeably ahead in political or economic power, or in culture. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-jenkins/for-much-of-the-history-of-islam-moreover-the-christian-world-was-not/) [Philip Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-jenkins/) > [The great powers have dominated the destiny of the Islamic countries for years and installed the Zionist cancerous tumor in the heart of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-khamenei/the-great-powers-have-dominated-the-destiny-of-the-islamic-countries/) [Ali Khamenei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-khamenei/) > [I believe there's a diseased component inside the Islamic world, the Muslim world, absolutely. It's like a cancer and it has metastasized and grabbed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-t-flynn/i-believe-there-s-a-diseased-component-inside-the-islamic-world-the/) [Michael T. 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But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-charles/the-medieval-islamic-world-from-central-asia-to-the-shores-of-the/) [Prince Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-charles/) > [“In the Islamic world itself also there is a great crisis in he modern established universities precisely because the systems from the West have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/in-the-islamic-world-itself-also-there-is-a-great-crisis-in-he-modern/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [“Khomeini espoused a militant religious doctrine rejecting not only the Middle Eastern political order, but also the contemporary international system since both perpetuated an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/efraim-karsh/khomeini-espoused-a-militant-religious-doctrine-rejecting-not-only/) [Efraim Karsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/efraim-karsh/) > [I think for most Americans, knowledge of the Islamic world was pretty slight before 9/11, and then it was thrust upon us in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-campbell/i-think-for-most-americans-knowledge-of-the-islamic-world-was-pretty/) [Thomas P. Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-campbell/) > [Anyone who follows the Middle East and Islamic world in general can't deny it is often a very violent place, that a band of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/anyone-who-follows-the-middle-east-and-islamic-world-in-general-can-t/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) ## More by Bernard Lewis > [ “Different groups in the \[Middle East\] drew two lessons from \[return of the shah in Iran\] - one, that Americans were willing to use… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lewis/different-groups-in-the-middle-east-drew-two-lessons-from-return-of/) [Bernard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lewis/) > [The Cold War philosophy of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD), which prevented the former Soviet Union and the United States from using the nuclear weapons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lewis/the-cold-war-philosophy-of-mutual-assured-destruction-mad-which/) [Bernard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lewis/) > [You see in the Muslim traditions, it's very clear: maintaining law and consultation, not being arbitrary and oppressive. 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It's been like that for a long time and women play an important part in Tunisia.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lewis/certainly-tunisia-was-the-first-in-muslim-world-it-s-been-like-that/) [Bernard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lewis/) > [In the West nowadays, it's very common to talk about the Judeo- Christian tradition. It's a common term. The term is relatively modern but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lewis/in-the-west-nowadays-it-s-very-common-to-talk-about-the-judeo/) [Bernard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lewis/) > [When we talk about the Judeo-Christian or the Judeo-Muslim tradition, it's important to remember that we are speaking of a Jewish component of civilization,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lewis/when-we-talk-about-the-judeo-christian-or-the-judeo-muslim-tradition/) [Bernard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lewis/) > [In opposing we always talk about freedom in the Western world, Muslims always talk about justice. Very often we mean the same thing. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lewis/in-opposing-we-always-talk-about-freedom-in-the-western-world-muslims/) [Bernard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lewis/) > [You see in Turkey, they had a remarkable success story in building up a democracy. 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