Anti-Muslim ideologues simultaneously courted Muslim allies when politically useful

Evidence

In the course of centuries, both the Catholic and later the Protestant, Churches had a considerable success among oriental Christians. The primary purpose was defensive. The same seems to be true of the Marxist-Leninist whose whole intention is presumably to safeguard the Revolution; while he destroys Islam within the U.S.S.R. he seeks allies in countries where ‘nationalist’ and ‘religious’ sentiments are ‘fused’, and Communist and non-Communist blocs thus both seek Muslim support, as once Christians and Muslims both sought to convert the Golden Horde. — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 1731

Categorization

• XREF: The tactical double-gesture — destroy Islam at home while enlisting Muslim allies abroad — matches how modern powers instrumentalise Muslim communities for geopolitical ends, echoing the vault’s material on strategic use of the ‘Muslim’ designation.