Since the terrorist attacks of September 11th the topic of Islam’s political, cultural, religious, and spiritual tendencies and beliefs has been thrust into the spotlight. However, most discussions concerning Islam’s relation to the West tend to simplify and distort the intricate nature of the problem. The essays in Islam and the West approach the interactions of Islam, the West, and modernity through overlapping social, historical, economic, cultural, and philosophical layers. Viewed through this complex prism of analysis, the full dimensions of the relationship become clear. The result is a deeper understanding of the nature of modernity and how other societies can relate to each other in an increasingly complex, globalizing world.