Colonial empire was read as proof of God’s favor on Christianity

Evidence

Samuel M. Zwemer, one of the most famous—and perhaps the most well-published— missionaries to Muslims summed up this view: “In India and Malaysia God’s favor has given us an open door to 100,000,000 Mohammedans. Under Queen Wilhelmina, the Christian Queen of Holland and under George V, the Christian Emperor of India, 100,000,000 Mohammedans are enjoying the blessings of Protestant Christian rule.” — Carl W. Ernst, Islamophobia in America_ The Anatomy of…, 169

Categorization

• CANDY: Zwemer’s quote about 100 million Mohammedans ‘enjoying the blessings of Protestant Christian rule’ is vivid, self-undermining rhetoric perfect for elevator conversation.
• XREF: connects to: Colonial extraction justified first contact through preemptive legal-religious claims — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection: How Data Is…, 299; Christianity was the non-negotiable core of civilized status in the antebellum Americas