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Abd al-Rahman Habannakah al-Maydani

Ajnihat al-Makr al-Thalatha

Author died
1425 AH
Editions
Dār al-Qalam

Ajnihat al-Makr al-Thalatha (The Three Wings of Deceit, fully titled Ajnihat al-Makr al-Thalatha wa-Khawafiha: al-Tabshir – al-Istishraq – al-Istiʿmar) is a contemporary Islamic study written by Abd al-Rahman Habannakah al-Maydani (d. 1425 AH / 2004 CE) examining Christian missionary work, Orientalism, and Western colonialism as coordinated facets of an intellectual campaign against Islam and the Muslim world .

Subject and Scope

Subtitled Dirasah wa-Tahlil wa-Tawjih: Dirasah Manhajiyyah Shamilah lil-Ghazw al-Fikri ("A Study, Analysis, and Guidance: A Comprehensive Methodological Study of Ideological Invasion"), the work forms part of al-Maydani's series titled Aʿdaʾ al-Islam ("Enemies of Islam") .

The book argues that three distinct movements operate collaboratively as "wings" of a unified effort against Islamic societies:

  1. Christian Missionary Activity (al-Tabshir): Addressed as an effort that originated with church institutions to proselytize non-Christian populations, particularly Muslims, and subsequently evolved into driving Muslims away from their religious convictions, whether toward Christianity, secularism, or religious skepticism, utilizing education, healthcare, and humanitarian channels .
  2. Orientalism (al-Istishraq): Defined as Western scholarly studies of the East—its peoples, histories, languages, and religions—which al-Maydani asserts served as an intellectual framework designed to support missionary objectives, supply colonial administrators with strategic data, and undermine Islamic doctrine and classical texts through academic critique .
  3. Colonialism (al-Istiʿmar): Analyzed as political, military, and economic domination that historically shielded and financed missionary and Orientalist enterprises while benefiting from their studies and institutions to dismantle Islamic unity and establish cultural dependency .

Structure and Contents

The book is arranged into fourteen chapters :

  • Chapter 1: General introductions, addressing the historical shift from the military Crusades to ideological warfare, its dangers, main objectives, and internal facilitators .
  • Chapter 2: Christian missionaries and their operational methods .
  • Chapter 3: Orientalists, detailing the history, major schools, motives, research standards, and influence of Orientalism in Western universities, alongside comparisons with missionary work .
  • Chapter 4: Colonialism and colonial administrations .
  • Chapter 5: Intersections, shared goals, and mutual cooperation among the three wings .
  • Chapter 6: Tactics and stratagems employed in ideological warfare .
  • Chapters 7–8: The concept of "emptying and filling" (al-tafrigh wa-al-malʾ), describing efforts to strip Islamic identity of its core tenets and substitute foreign doctrines .
  • Chapter 9: Policies aimed at fracturing Muslim solidarity and diminishing demographic strength .
  • Chapter 10: The promotion of secular nationalism (al-qawmiyyah) .
  • Chapter 11: Policies directed against the Arabic language .
  • Chapter 12: Moral and behavioral disruption .
  • Chapter 13: Economic doctrines and their role in ideological confrontation .
  • Chapter 14: Pressures faced by contemporary Islamic organizations and movements .

Publication History

The work was first published in 1395 AH (1975 CE) by Dar al-Qalam in Damascus and Beirut . It went through multiple subsequent printings by Dar al-Qalam, including a fourth edition in 1405 AH (1985 CE) spanning 700 pages, as well as fifth (1407 AH / 1986 CE), seventh (1414 AH / 1994 CE), and eighth (1420 AH / 2000 CE) editions . It is widely referenced in contemporary Arabic literature on ideological invasion (al-ghazw al-fikri) and the critique of Orientalism .

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