Islam’s self-perception of triumph mirrored Christian imperial self-regard

Evidence

Until then, Islam, in its own perception at least, was triumphant; the ab­ sorption of the obdurate European barbarians could be delayed, but not pre­ vented. True, there were some losses in remote and little-known regions, like Spain and Russia, and even an occasional setback like the naval defeat at Lepanto in 1571, a battle that caused great but brief elation in Europe but had little effect on the immediate balance of power. As long as the Muslim forces remained dominant in the central lands, they continued—again, like other empire-builders before them and after—securely believing in the supremacy of their arms and the immutable superiority of their beliefs and their way of life. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 665

Categorization

• XREF: Symmetric with Said’s account of Orientalist triumphalism — both sides held parallel superiorities, highlighting that knowledge-production asymmetry, not belief asymmetry, is the issue.