Since the collapse of the communist narrative, identity has supplanted class, and culture has taken the place of economics. The world has witnessed a demand for identity—a quest to satisfy the desire for recognition. Yet, this demand soon succumbed to a distortion that took various forms—one that has, for the most part, served to weaken the social fabric, threaten coexistence, and destabilize the state. What was intended as a solution has instead become a problem. How can the demand for identity be reconciled with the imperatives of citizenship? How can a synthesis be forged between particularity and universality? And how can a just distribution of symbols be achieved without disparaging any segment of society? Western societies are currently awash in heated rhetoric regarding identity—a discourse playing out between native populations and newcomers, particularly Muslim immigrants. The "problem of identity" thus emerges as the visible manifestation of deeper, complex issues—problems that conceal far more than they reveal. This book represents an attempt to understand the discourse of identity—its legitimacy as well as its distortions—and the trap into which it ultimately leads, in both the West and the Arab world alike. It is an exploration of issues with global dimensions: Islamophobia, the resurgence of ethnicity worldwide, the "archipelagic society," the "Great Replacement" theory, and the discourse of decolonization. Above all, it examines the figure of the "intimate enemy" and the "necessary scapegoat." It is hoped that reading this book will aid in grasping the nature of these burning questions that currently reverberate across the globe.