Islam and the West: Clash of Civilizations?

For all those who have a moment to spare, a very illuminating debate from over at Jihad Watch (available here or here) concerning the issue of whether or not a "Clash of Civilizations" is occurring between the Islam and the West.

In very brief summary, the debate shows the unique approach used from both sides that I have often noticed in debates on this topic. Essentially, the debater arguing that there is no clash of civilization was debating from a modern and emotive position, using recent historical facts to illustrate his points rather than delving into ancient history to explore the historical facts that counter his position. On the other hand, the debater arguing in favour of the claim that a clash of civilization is actually occurring uses original and foundational Islamic source material, in addition to the original interpretations of the most respected Islamic scholars and legalists, to support his position. Strangely enough, these are the very same sources that are used by the vast majority of Islamic terrorist groups to justify their actions and support their claims to being "true" Muslims.

With this final point in mind, it is not hard to realize which one of the debaters had the stronger argument.