Colonial ‘reforming Islam’ meant forcibly secularising it

Evidence

Because of european perceptions of Islam as a dying civilisation, colonialism was also deeply embellished with the notion of imposing its own forms of control and governance. So whilst Islam was not being sought to be eradicated, one underlying aspect of colonialism was the aim to remove what it saw to be the final throes of a religious or theological power that was soon to be replaced with a european model of secularised nationalism. As Zakaria noted, the intention of the colonialists was of ‘reforming Islam …’ where ‘reform’ meant ‘to secularise it’. In essence, the colonialists sought to assist what was seen as the looming natural death of Islam. — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 192

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines what ‘reform of Islam’ meant in the colonial lexicon, sharpening the definitional stakes of the chapter.
• XREF: connects to: Colonial powers sought to control rather than eradicate Islam — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 191; Colonialist reform of Islam meant secularising a presumed dying religion; Capitalism and colonialism drove Muslim empires toward secularization — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 298 (+2 more)

Related

• Colonialist reform of Islam meant secularising a presumed dying religion (similarity 0.94)
• Colonial powers sought to control rather than eradicate Islam (similarity 0.87)
• Capitalism and colonialism drove Muslim empires toward secularization (similarity 0.84)
• Colonisation was not specific to Islam or the Muslim world (similarity 0.83)
• Early Islamic revivalism was a middle-class response to colonial threat (similarity 0.82)
• Capitalism emerged ideologically through intensified spiritualization rather than secularization (similarity 0.81)
• Modern classification of cultures secularized earlier religious structures (similarity 0.79)
• The fear of Islam intensified amid Ottoman decline and colonial expansion (similarity 0.79)
• Essentialized views of Islam make any Islamic reform a betrayal of the essence (similarity 0.79)
• Modernizing reforms created the secular middle class that displaced the ulama (similarity 0.78)
• Colonial administrators framed Islam as inherently degrading women. (similarity 0.78)
• The belief that Muslims had different needs enabled colonial indifference. (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Capitalism and colonialism drove Muslim empires toward secularization #corroborates (0.85) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 298
• Colonisation was not specific to Islam or the Muslim world #qualifies (0.75) — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 195
• Muslims were forced to reframe religious practice as cultural preservation to access public funds #exemplifies (0.72) — Runnymede Trust (ed. Farah Elahi & Omar Khan), Islamophobia, 181