clash of civilisations or realigning values?

It was good to see on the news a few minutes ago, a British Muslim apologising for the offence caused by his wearing of a mock bomb vest in a protest in London on Saturday ("But by me dressing the way I did ... exactly the same as the Danish newspaper, if not worse. My method of protest has offended many people, especially the families of the victims of the July bombings. This was not my intention."). Good too to see him surrounded by a lot of men supporting the apology [in fact, I wondered whether they had turned up to make sure he didn't chicken out! You know: like when one of your parents took you next door to apologise for scaring the guinea pigs, or whatever]. Good too to read this from Tariq Ramadan:

The fracture is not between the west and Islam but between those who, in both worlds, are able to assert who they are and what they stand for with calm - in the name of faith or reason, or both - and those driven by exclusive certainties, blind passions, reductive perceptions of the other and a liking for hasty conclusions. The latter character traits are shared equally by some intellectuals, religious scholars, journalists and ordinary people on both sides. Facing the dangerous consequences these attitudes entail, it is urgent we launch a general call for wisdom.

I'm used to hearing or seeing 'wisdom' in a Christian context; it's reassuring to see a Muslim who seems to well understand and to appreciate the best of western values and to be able to present a case with warm reference to them.
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Cartoon conflicts:Filed in: Islam, free-speech, wisdom, religion