Colonialist reform of Islam meant secularising a presumed dying religion

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 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

The turn toward secularization and modernization was spurred on by the spread of capitalism and the encroachment of colonialism on various Muslim empires. In fact, it was only during the era of capitalist development that Islam finally ceased to play a central role in social organization. In response to the loss of their territories to European colonial powers, the Muslim rulers of the Ottoman, Egyptian, and Persian Empires introduced programs of modernization, capitalistic reforms, and Westernization. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 298 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Essentialized views of Islam make any Islamic reform a betrayal of the essence; Colonial powers sought to control rather than eradicate Islam — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 191; Colonial ‘reforming Islam’ meant forcibly secularising it — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 192 (+8 more)

Related

• Colonial ‘reforming Islam’ meant forcibly secularising it (similarity 0.94)
• Capitalism and colonialism drove Muslim empires toward secularization (similarity 0.89)
• Colonial powers sought to control rather than eradicate Islam (similarity 0.88)
• Early Islamic revivalism was a middle-class response to colonial threat (similarity 0.85)
• Capitalism emerged ideologically through intensified spiritualization rather than secularization (similarity 0.84)
• The fear of Islam intensified amid Ottoman decline and colonial expansion (similarity 0.83)
• Modern classification of cultures secularized earlier religious structures (similarity 0.83)
• Essentialized views of Islam make any Islamic reform a betrayal of the essence (similarity 0.82)
• Colonisation was not specific to Islam or the Muslim world (similarity 0.82)
• Colonization was not Islam-specific but Orientalism shaped its distinct form (similarity 0.81)
• Modernizing reforms created the secular middle class that displaced the ulama (similarity 0.81)
• British colonial ideology consolidated the essentialized idea of Islam as a homogeneous threat (similarity 0.81)
• European empires colonized Muslim states through loans as well as invasion. (similarity 0.80)
• The belief that Muslims had different needs enabled colonial indifference. (similarity 0.80)
• Colonial expansion and Orientalist essentializing emerged together in the nineteenth century. (similarity 0.80)

Broader Connections

• Colonial ‘reforming Islam’ meant forcibly secularising it #corroborates (0.96) — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 192
• Capitalism and colonialism drove Muslim empires toward secularization #expands (0.78) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 298
• Modern classification of cultures secularized earlier religious structures #expands (0.75)
• Postwar Muslim-majority nations embraced secular nationalism, contra Orientalist claims #complicates (0.73) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 310
• Early Islamic revivalism was a middle-class response to colonial threat #qualifies (0.72) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 304
• Muslim monarchs initiated Western-style modernization to defend against colonialism #qualifies (0.72) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 299
• British colonial ideology consolidated the essentialized idea of Islam as a homogeneous threat #expands (0.72)
• Colonial feminism used saving Muslim women to justify imperialism #epitomizes (0.72)
• Nineteenth-century Orientalism essentialized Muslims as intrinsically inferior during colonial expansion. #expands (0.72) — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 201