challenging the new orientalism
from Amazon’s editorial review:
Over the past few decades, a new form of Orientalism has been developing. As exemplified by Elie Kedourie and Bernard Lewis, it points to Islam as the West’s archenemy. The rise of political Islam and its opposition to Western domination of the Islamic world are seen as evidence of a deep, abiding hatred of all things Western. Accordingly, the new Orientalists call for thorough reforms, among them regime changes, wars, and the imposition of “democracy” on Islamic societies. They warn that if the West shrinks from this challenge, the Islamists will surely gain power and destroy the West.
Not surprisingly, many of the new Orientalists are strong partisans of Israel.
For a taste of this wonderful book, check M. Shahid Alam’s excellent essay: The Muslims America Loves.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.In the heyday of the old colonialism, the white man did not need any help from the natives in putting down their religion and culture. Indeed, he preferred to do it himself. Then, the opinion of the natives carried little weight with the whites anyway. So why bother to recruit them to denounce their own people. As a result, Orientalists wrote countless tomes denigrating the cultures of the lesser breeds.
Today the West needs help in putting down the uppity natives–especially the Muslims. One reason for this is that with the death of the old colonialism, some natives have begun to talk for themselves. A few are even talking back at the Orientalists raising all sorts of uncomfortable questions. This hasn’t been good: and something had to be done about it. In the 1970s the West began to patronize ‘natives’ who were deft at putting down their own people. Was the West losing its confidence?
The demand for ‘native’ Orientalists was strong. The pay for such turncoats was good too. Soon a whole crop of native Orientalists arrived on the scene. Perhaps, the most distinguished members of this coterie include Nirad Chaudhuri, V. S. Naipaul, Fouad Ajami and Salman Rushdi. They are some of the best loved natives in the West.
November 27th, 2006 at 1:07 pm
Salaam,
Thanks for sharing that excerpt. Very interesting, and might have to check it out.
May 9th, 2007 at 11:19 am
quote:
Accordingly, the new Orientalists call for thorough reforms, among them regime changes, wars, and the imposition of “democracy” on Islamic societies. They warn that if the West shrinks from this challenge, the Islamists will surely gain power and destroy the West.
end quote.
Why impose democracy on people who are not culturally or historically inclined to accept it?
Exposure to democracy is not the same as historical experience with democracy. The Muslim world will never be democratic on western terms.
Never.
I don’t look for any western domination of the Muslim world.
And as for gaining power and destroying the west?
Somehow I’m not surprised that someone released a film concerning Thermopylae recently.
Seems people are remembering something. No I don’t see Muslims dominating the west either.