 Viewing the Near East as Muslim and the West as Christian could mean that "any occasion would be propitious for a new clash of cultures, of civilizations and even of religions -- a destructive clash between the Muslim Arab East and the Christian West," he said.The patriarch called for Christian-Islam dialogue which describes to Muslims "what our fears are," including concern about a lack of separation between religion and government, lack of equality and about a legal system that is based on Islamic law.In December 2010, Laham was quoted by "The Lebanon Daily Star" as claiming that attacks against Levantine Christians, were part of a "Zionist conspiracy against Islam."