This book re-examines the issue of the Clash of Civilizations between Islam and the West through the concept of myth. Examining how such beliefs spread in both a Western and a Muslim context, the book argues that it has become a strong political tool. "[T]he perspectives presented in this book shed an interesting new light on the myths-making processes underpinning the notion of a clash of civilizations. This work moves the debate away from sterile discussions about civilizations and highlights instead the value of analysing political myths as structuring and being structured by the social imaginary of specific political communities." - Frederic Volpi, University of St Andrews; Journal of Islamic Studies, vol 23, no 1, January 2012