al-Istishraq Juhuduhu wa Ahdafuhu fi Muharabat al-Islam wa al-Tashwish ala Dawatihi

al-Istishraq Juhuduhu wa Ahdafuhu fi Muharabat al-Islam wa al-Tashwish ala Dawatihi (Orientalism: Its Efforts and Objectives in Combating Islam and Distorting Its Call) is an academic treatise by Dr. Abd al-Munim Muhammad Hasnayn, a professor at the College of Da'wah and Usul al-Din at the Islamic University of Madinah, examining the historical origins, objectives, and methods of Western Orientalist scholarship regarding Islam al-Istishraq Juhuduhu wa …+1.

Background and Context

The study was originally prepared as a research contribution for the International Conference for Guiding the Call and Preparing Callers (المؤتمر العالمي لتوجيه الدعوة وإعداد الدعاة) under the theme of opposing hostile movements, and it was subsequently published in the thirty-eighth issue of the Journal of the Islamic University of Madinah al-Mutamar al-Alami li-Ta…+1. Hasnayn frames the work as an essential guide for Islamic callers (duʿāt) and educators to understand the ideological challenges posed by Orientalism in the modern era al-Istishraq Juhuduhu wa …+1.

Themes and Arguments

The author argues that while Orientalism presents itself outward as an objective academic inquiry into Eastern languages and heritages, its fundamental role has been to serve Western colonialism and act as an intellectual continuation of the Crusades Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1. Hasnayn asserts that Western scholars studied Oriental languages—particularly Arabic, alongside Persian, Hebrew, and Syriac—and mastered Arabic grammar, morphology, rhetoric, and literature to access primary Islamic sources and construct critiques against Islamic doctrine and law Majallat al-Jami'a al-Isl…+1.

The treatise outlines several key methods and objectives employed by Orientalist scholarship:

• Casting doubt on religious sources: Undermining confidence in Islamic legislation and core texts through selective research and fabricated assertions disguised as scientific scholarship al-Istishraq Juhuduhu wa …+1.
• Diminishing Islamic civilization: Downplaying the role of Islamic culture in transmitting sciences and inspiring the European transition out of the Middle Ages into the modern era al-Istishraq Juhuduhu wa ….
• Influencing Muslim students: Mentoring students from the Muslim world in Western institutions to instill Orientalist views and cultivate intellectual dependency on the West al-Istishraq Juhuduhu wa …+1.
• Opposing the Arabic language: Promoting alternative regional dialects and movements to weaken the standard Arabic language of the Quran al-Istishraq Juhuduhu wa ….
• Utilizing modern media: Exploiting visual, audio, and print media—such as newspapers, radio, cinema, and theatre—as indirect tools of cultural influence in Muslim societies al-Istishraq Juhuduhu wa ….

In the conclusion, Hasnayn emphasizes that countering these efforts requires Islamic scholars and callers to acquire thorough cultural and religious grounding, recognize the mechanisms of Orientalist polemics, and effectively deploy constructive media to defend Islamic principles al-Istishraq Juhuduhu wa …+2.