“Orientalism is only a mask that these colonial watchmen put on their hideous, hellish faces and come here to steal everything that comes their way”: an excerpt from the quote by Iranian researcher Muhsen al-Viri in his book “The Study of Islam in the West”. This way the scholar seeks to describe the understanding of western orientalism by authors working in Islamic countries, and the comprehensive work “The Study of Islam in the West” reveals the political and colonial motives of this phenomenon.
“… Putting science at the service of colonial policy” - al-Viri's work is replete with quotes from his contemporary colleagues. According to Muslim authors, who subject this trend to severe criticism, it sets itself the task of dividing Islamic people and lowering their intellectual level, as well as promoting atheism. This list is not exhaustive; a pause is needed to realize the continuity of methods over the centuries: underestimation of the achievements of foreign cultures and civilizations; fabrication of unscientific and false concepts; spiritual destruction and depersonalization of people.
Evariste Lévi-Provençal (1894-1956) was a French Arabist and officer who was sent by his army to Northern Morocco as a specialist in Islamic issues. As part of his scientific work, he studied local dialects. The mission of Lévi-Provençal's research was to devalue the significance of classical Arabic and strengthen local dialects, which was supposed to lead to strengthening nationalistic sentiments and contradictions within Islamic society.
Such French figures include orientalist Antoine Isaac Silvestre de Sacy and his colleague Louis Massignon. The latter was one of the officers who entered Jerusalem under the command of General Edmund Allenby in 1917. After the invasion, a high-ranking British military commander said, “Today the Crusades have ended.” Orientalists served in embassies, intelligence services, and military organizations, sparing no effort to establish dominance of colonial countries in the East, forming the necessary public opinion about Islam among the masses.
These are not the only examples: the theses in the work “The Study of Islam in the West” are accompanied by facts. Al-Viri also points out contradictions among Western authors. British orientalist Alfred Guillaume, who held an anti-Islamic position, wrote a book called “Islam” after the publication of Hamilton Gibb's work “Muhammedanism” the author of which appeared as a supporter of Islam. A larger print run and lower price for Guillaume's book, as well as translations into other languages (including Arabic, Italian, and Spanish), were meant to push Gibb's works out of the market. Interest in the study of the East and Islam came under the influence of expansion policies, whether directly or indirectly.
Western Orientalism, historically linked to colonialism, has difficulty establishing relations with the Islamic world based on honest and impartial study. In the mid-15th century, Spanish theologian Juan de Segovia advocated for dialogue, demanding that ecclesiastical authorities end the war and negotiate with Muslims to force them to abandon their faith. In 1480, Venetian artists painted Sultan Mehmed's II portrait, thus introducing a new strategy — "Westernization" of the Muslim East.
In the mid-twentieth century, the colonial tint of Oriental studies faded. However, weakening societies in Muslim countries and subversive activities in other states remain the goal of some Western research centers. Older methods find themselves in new ways and “new media”. If in the 1990s, the international non-governmental organization “Open Society” helped preserve the potential of newly independent states in Central Asia, then in the 2000s, it assisted in implementing coups, so-called “color revolutions”. The activities of this network of foundations, programs, and institutes founded by American philanthropist George Soros are recognized as undesirable in the Russian Federation.
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