“Wokeness, fear of criticizing Islam Threaten Muslim Progress”, Islamism, March 28, 2023:
“In higher education institutions in the United States, there is a fear of subjecting Islam to criticism. This fear is particularly manifest in the work of liberal professors, who are afraid of being accused of “Orientalism” or “Islamophobia.” Ironically enough, this fear—rooted in a desire to be kind and good—has hindered the careers of reform-minded Muslim from the Middle East., of whom I am one. So how does this process play out? Let’s take a look.
With his 1978 text, Orientalism, which declared that Western commentary on the Middle East was motivated by a desire to dominate the region, Edward Said made a great impression on liberal scholars in Europe and North America. He prompted profound feelings of guilt on the part of scholars who felt shame over Europe’s colonization of large swaths of the world, and the Middle East in particular.
These intellectuals forgot that prior emperors in the region, Muslims included, engaged in grand acts of conquest themselves. With Orientalism and other texts, Said rendered discussion of Islam’s history in the region taboo. In so doing, he hindered the prospect of progress in the Middle East….”
Read the full article at Islamism.news
