ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the rise of European colonialism and its impact on the Muslim world. It reviews Europe’s efforts to remold Muslim societies in the image of the West and the reaction of Muslim intellectuals and societies to these efforts. It highlights the extent to which Muslim societies have internalized modern European thought and culture. The chapter also uncovers the European obsession with transmitting European cultural practices, including liberal ideals, into the non-Western world, and the willingness of Western powers to support tyrants and dictators to do so at the expense of the internal stability and well-being of non-Western populations. It also expounds on the reasons why the secularization project in the Middle East should be deemed ill-conceived and identifies the struggle for reform undertaken by the Middle Eastern intellectuals and social movements.
