This Friday marks 25 years since the attacks of September 11th, 2001.
A quarter of a century since the planes hit the Twin Towers. A quarter of a century of wars, terror attacks, migration, integration, counter-terrorism, culture wars, and increasingly fraught arguments over religion and identity.
And yet, 25 years later, one question remains stubbornly unresolved:
Is Islam compatible with the West?
For some, the answer is obviously yes. Millions of Muslims live peacefully across Britain, Europe, and America, participating in and contributing to Western societies, including those who fight in the IDF in Israel.
For others, the answer is far more complicated. Profound tensions between certain interpretations of Islam and Western traditions of free speech, secular government, religious pluralism, women’s rights, and individual liberty.
Perhaps the problem is the question itself. What do we mean by “Islam”? What do we mean by “the West”? And what exactly does “compatible” require?
These are questions too important to be reduced to slogans, accusations, or 30-second clips on social media.
So this Friday, for the first ever live edition of The Winston Marshall Show, we’re going to debate them properly.
At London’s Emmanuel Centre, I’ll be joined by Maajid Nawaz and Raymond Ibrahim, two formidable thinkers who approach this subject from sharply different perspectives. We’ll discuss Islam, integration, history, liberalism, extremism, and what the future holds for Western societies.
The point is to have the debate; to get closer to answering the question.
Twenty-five years after 9/11, there can be few better moments to ask one of the defining questions of our age.
Is Islam compatible with the West?
Come and decide for yourself.
This Friday, 11th September 2026, at Emmanuel Centre, London
For you loyal substackers, get 20% using code WINSTON
Get your tickets here: https://winstonmarshall.eventbrite.co.uk/
See you there,
WM
For the thousandth time, no!
No