The British Attitudes Towards The Islamic World Over History

Abstract

The West’s evolution of a specific attitude towards Islam and the culture associated with it is a process by which ideas were accumulated over time and then handed on from one generation to another to become sources for scholars who, undoubtedly, use the culture of their age and previous ages ; never work in abstraction. The absence of clear meaning, interpretation and precise objective became apparent with regard to the English literature on Islam in particular. Behind these attempts to twist the concept and image of Islam are the animosity held so long to the faith for the greater losses it caused to Christianity, general misconceptions of Islam’s spiritual nature, and political motivations. The description of this perspective along with its emotional complexity is the subject of this paper which calls into question the origins of this antagonism and the contributing factors to its continuity.