Danish instructions told scholars to hide any contempt for Islam

Evidence

Acting on Frederick V’s behalf, the University of Copenhagen also produced a lengthy and detailed set of articles for the guidance of the expedition. According to Article X: ‘All members of the company shall show the greatest courtesy to the inhabitants of Arabia. They are not to raise any objections to their religion, more than that, they shall give no indication – not even indirectly – that they despise it; they shall refrain from that which is the abomination of the inhabitants of Arabia. And also, as necessary in the course of their tasks, they should proceed in such a manner as to draw the least attention as possible, shrouding anything which might arouse the suspicion among the ignorant Muhamedans that they were searching for treasure, practising sorcery, or spying with the intention of harming the country…’ — Robert Irwin, For Lust of Knowing, 234

Categorization

• XREF: Sets up the later account of how European scholars actually behaved in Muslim lands — official courtesy versus actual contempt. A thread to follow through the rest of the book.
• SHARE: Send to a colleague working on the history of fieldwork ethics — the 1761 Danish instructions are an early, explicit fieldwork conduct code.