British commercial interest checked missionary zeal in colonial India

Evidence

Despite the shared conviction among many Britons and Americans that Islam stood in inherent antagonism to Christianity and the sentiment among some that it should be destroyed, Britons in India— especially those serving the government—remained conflicted about how to proceed. Although some of its servants viewed Muslims as antithetical to Company aims, the EIC initially preferred to minimalize Christian missionary activity, concerned that resulting antagonisms might disrupt commerce. Detecting this, Buchanan wrote in 1807 to the governor-general of India and alleged that the Company was “hostile to the progress of Christianity.” — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 167

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Milgrom’s legal-institutions material: economic interest restrains ideological action, here colonial administration versus the Church.