The phantom Muslim fanatic structured contests between authoritarian and liberal imperial ideology

Evidence

The Great Wahhabi Case highlights the key role the phantom- figure of the Muslim fanatic played in contests between authoritarian and liberal strands of imperial ideology. — Julia Stephens, The Phantom Wahhabi, 21

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces ‘Phantom Wahhabi’ as an analytical figure — a constructed bogeyman rather than a real movement.
• DEEPTHINKING: Reframes colonial policy as a struggle staged through a fabricated enemy — the figure does ideological work independent of any real threat.