By the use of powerfully worded speeches, and media coverage, our government instills fear and hatred of Islam into American citizens. In addition, the media and our government make every effort to justify our involvement and occupation in the Middle East. The current involvement of the United States in the Middle East closely resembles the events of the Crusades of the Middle Ages. Furthermore, the actions and words of President Bush are comparable to the words and actions of that time. Upon further examination, it is evident that the issues in the Middle East and the United States involvement with them are an ongoing clash between cultures and civilization – the civilized and the barbaric.
             Since the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, fear, uncertainty and discrimination of Muslims dominate the report of our media. Our government, specifically President George W. Bush has been the principle influence on the public's opinion of Islam. Islam is repeatedly looked upon as an "extremist", "terrorist", or "fundamental" religion. Because of the media's continuous reports, the belief that Islam is the "vile enemy" has increased. However, the Western media's reports about Islam are incorrect due to ignorance. In effect, this causes many people to hate Islam yet they are uninformed of its true teachings. Furthermore, the excessive preoccupation the United States Government has with internal security to protect us from these "uncivilized barbarians" are reinforcing the stories the media reports and feeding the publics opinion.
             A few days after the attack on the World trade Center, George Bush spoke about a "crusade", "this war on terrorism". Whether an intentional reference or not, it had a significant impact on the Muslim community, as well as others because of the unfortunate series of events that occurred in the Muslim world during the Middle Ages...