

The complex relationship that exists between Islam and the Western world makes it necessary to enlist an increasing number of people who are capable of understanding these two cultures and of mediating between them. The Islamic world, in all its variety and diversity, becomes even more complex when it enters the West through immigration, where immigrants no longer have a purely superficial physical contact with the Western world, as was the case throughout the whole of the colonial period, but live within it. It is often the case that the products of both societies do not integrate, but tend to dis-integrate, not knowing to which world they belong. People using religious symbolism to pursue political ideas, opting for terrorism as their means of struggle, are able to exploit this sense of searching for an identity. This type of exploitation avails itself of the multiplier effect of the virtual world to bolster support; but without an adequate counterweight, this can cause damage which, while not irreparable, can impair our complex societies. This paper takes a fresh approach to counter this phenomenon which could prove to be extremely effective when contrasting this quest to enlist support.