Colonial rule justified itself by keeping the ruled unfit to rule

Evidence

Where one was in a position of power—as Cromer was, for example—the Oriental belonged to the system of rule whose principle was simply to make sure that no Oriental was ever allowed to be independent and rule himself. The premise there was that since the Orientals were ignorant of self-government, they had better be kept that way for their own good. — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 571

Categorization

• XREF: The self-fulfilling logic of colonial paternalism carries forward into the ideology-critique vocabulary the Islamophobia field inherits. — connects to: Colonialism’s legacies persist long after colonial rule ends. — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection: How Data Is…, 257; Liberal paternalists justified colonial despotism as preparation for self-government. — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market: Human Rights…, 244
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Edward W. Said, Orientalism, 571