Postwar Muslim-majority nations embraced secular nationalism, contra Orientalist claims

Evidence

During the postwar period, radical secular nationalism was the dominant political philosophy in colonized nations from Indonesia to Algeria. Several Orientalists, ignoring this reality (as we saw in the last chapter), asserted that people in Muslim countries—whom they viewed as being deeply entrenched in their religious beliefs—would reject political ideologies like nationalism and Communism. They were wrong. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 310

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Muslim nations are not unique in struggling with democracy — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 292; Only about a quarter of Muslim-majority nations have democratic governments — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 291; The Middle East itself is a product of Orientalist construction. — Khaled A. Beydoun, American Islamophobia_ Understanding…, 161 (+8 more)

Broader Connections

• Orientalists reframed Islam as a political system rather than a religion. #contradicts (0.60)