Colonial commerce interests tempered missionary zeal against Islam in 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. — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 167

Categorization

• QUESTION: Sets up a tension (EIC commercial pragmatism vs. missionary religious conviction) that later chapters may track into present-day policy pragmatism vs. ideological Islamophobia.