--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the 19th century, when Muslims were…" description: "\"In the 19th century, when Muslims were looking at Europe as an example, they were independent; they were more self-confident. In the early 20th century..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aef/mustafa-akyol-15064_19th-century_in-the-19th-century-when-muslims-were-lo_638432.png" --- # In the 19th century, when Muslims were looking at Europe… ![“In the 19th century, when Muslims were looking at Europe as an example, they were independent; they were more self-confident. In the early 20th century, with the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the whole Middle East was colonized. And when you have colonization, what do you have? You have…” quote by Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aef/mustafa-akyol-15064_19th-century_in-the-19th-century-when-muslims-were-lo_638432.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aef/mustafa-akyol-15064_19th-century_in-the-19th-century-when-muslims-were-lo_638432.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aef/mustafa-akyol-15064_19th-century_in-the-19th-century-when-muslims-were-lo_638432.png) > “In the 19th century, when Muslims were looking at Europe as an example, they were independent; they were more self-confident. In the early 20th century, with the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the whole Middle East was colonized. And when you have colonization, what do you have? You have anti-colonization.” [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote contrasts early Muslim confidence with later colonial subjugation, suggesting colonization breeds resistance movements. **In simple terms:** Early confidence vs later colonization and resistance. Key Takeaway Recognize how external control can spark anti‑colonial sentiment. Themes history colonialism identity politics resistance Mood reflective critical Type analytical historical When to use this quote - academic lecture - policy analysis - educational curriculum - public debate - media commentary Key Concepts imperialism nationalism self‑determination Questions to Reflect On - How does external domination affect cultural self‑esteem? - What forms does anti‑colonial sentiment take today? A Different Perspective Colonial narratives can oversimplify diverse regional experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Colonization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colonization/) [Empire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empire/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Middle east](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-east/) [Muslims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muslims/) [Ottoman empire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ottoman-empire/) ## Related quotes > [Turkey has never been colonized, so it remained as an independent nation after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/turkey-has-never-been-colonized-so-it-remained-as-an-independent/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“At the same time Beyazid II, the eighth sultan of the Ottoman Empire, issued an invitation to the 250,000 Jews banished by Spain to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ay-e-kulin/at-the-same-time-beyazid-ii-the-eighth-sultan-of-the-ottoman-empire/) [Ayşe Kulin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ay-e-kulin/) > [On the eve of World War I, an estimated two million Armenians lived in the Ottoman Empire. Well over a million were deported and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-engel/on-the-eve-of-world-war-i-an-estimated-two-million-armenians-lived-in/) [Eliot Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-engel/) > [“Voltaire also keenly endorsed Catherine of Russia’s plan to ‘preach tolerance with bayonets at the end of their rifles’ in Poland. Exhorting Catherine to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/voltaire-also-keenly-endorsed-catherine-of-russia-s-plan-to-preach/) [Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/) > [So in Europe, we had empires. Everyone had them - France and Spain and Britain and Turkey! The Ottoman Empire, full of furniture for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-izzard/so-in-europe-we-had-empires-everyone-had-them-france-and-spain-and/) [Eddie Izzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-izzard/) > [“Part of Sykes's motive was rooted in religiosity. A devout Catholic, he regarded a return of the ancient tribe of Israel to the Holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-anderson/part-of-sykes-s-motive-was-rooted-in-religiosity-a-devout-catholic-he/) [Scott Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-anderson/) > [“At the start of World War I, the Ottoman Empire was often described as a dwindling power, mired by administrative corruption, using inferior technology,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/at-the-start-of-world-war-i-the-ottoman-empire-was-often-described-as/) [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) > [Celebrating historic triumphs is a favorite pastime for many Turks. Tales of how Turkic peoples emerged from Central Asia, crossed the steppes to Anatolia,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/celebrating-historic-triumphs-is-a-favorite-pastime-for-many-turks/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [“Across the city, people quoted a prophecy the Arabs used to tell to glorify the Ottoman Empire: the Turks would leave Palestine only when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/across-the-city-people-quoted-a-prophecy-the-arabs-used-to-tell-to/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [“There is no greater motor for architecture than religious fervor. Ancient examples include the Inca, Aztec Egyptian civilizations. In more recent times, Christianity gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-grant-ross/there-is-no-greater-motor-for-architecture-than-religious-fervor/) Helen Grant Ross > [The Ottoman Empire . . . The rulers in Turkey were fortunately so corrupt that they left people alone pretty much - were mostly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-ottoman-empire-the-rulers-in-turkey-were-fortunately-so-corrupt/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [In 1491 the Inka ruled the greatest empire on earth. Bigger than Ming Dynasty China, bigger than Ivan the Great’s expanding Russia, bigger than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/in-1491-the-inka-ruled-the-greatest-empire-on-earth-bigger-than-ming/) [Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/) > [“The cutting off of Russia with all its consequences, the vain and sanguinary tragedy of Gallipoli, the diversion of Allied strength in the campaigns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-w-tuchman/the-cutting-off-of-russia-with-all-its-consequences-the-vain-and/) [Barbara W. Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-w-tuchman/) > [“For the first time, the Ottoman Empire was forced to recognize the full independence of a nation, not because of a war with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/for-the-first-time-the-ottoman-empire-was-forced-to-recognize-the/) [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) > [“All questions of right to one side, I have never been able to banish the queasy inner suspicion that Israel just did not look,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/all-questions-of-right-to-one-side-i-have-never-been-able-to-banish/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More by Mustafa Akyol > [“Gerber, who studied seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Ottoman court decisions, points to examples of Ottoman muftis (official jurists) who, despite being paid by the government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/gerber-who-studied-seventeenth-and-eighteenth-century-ottoman-court/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“As Islamic liberalism waned, and resistance arose against the West and its influence, that very resistance started to replace genuine religiosity as the basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/as-islamic-liberalism-waned-and-resistance-arose-against-the-west-and/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [I think forcing people to uncover their head is as tyrannical as forcing them to cover it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/i-think-forcing-people-to-uncover-their-head-is-as-tyrannical-as/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“The medieval Islamic world . . . offered vastly more freedom than any of its predecessors, its contemporaries and most of its successors. —Bernard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/the-medieval-islamic-world-offered-vastly-more-freedom-than-any-of/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“According to Gerber, the Shariah principle here was unmistakably individualist: “The rights of the state are depicted as opposed to the rights of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/according-to-gerber-the-shariah-principle-here-was-unmistakably/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“Moreover, unlike the classical period, in which the Shariah was a check on the powers of the executive, it now became an instrument of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/moreover-unlike-the-classical-period-in-which-the-shariah-was-a-check/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [Turkey has never been colonized, so it remained as an independent nation after the fall of the Ottoman Empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/turkey-has-never-been-colonized-so-it-remained-as-an-independent/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [The Qur'an not only lacks any earthly punishment for someone who abandons Islam, it even includes verses that imply that such a change of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/the-qur-an-not-only-lacks-any-earthly-punishment-for-someone-who/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“The Qur’an promoted work and trade and defined commercial profit as “God’s bounty.”38 The Prophet, himself a merchant, is on the record with such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/the-qur-an-promoted-work-and-trade-and-defined-commercial-profit-as/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“The Prophet brought a message relevant for all ages, in other words, but he lived a life of his own age.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/the-prophet-brought-a-message-relevant-for-all-ages-in-other-words/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“Other problems in the Shariah, such as misogyny, come from the fact that Islamic law incorporated a great many medieval attitudes, customs, and traditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/other-problems-in-the-shariah-such-as-misogyny-come-from-the-fact/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“The Christians’ “exaggerated fear of sex” continued until modern times, whereas Islamdom remained more sex-friendly until, again, modern times. Even the more conservative scholars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/the-christians-exaggerated-fear-of-sex-continued-until-modern-times/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [“Some liberal theorists have seen a parallelism between this function of Islamic law and the “natural law” tradition of Europe, on which the liberal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/some-liberal-theorists-have-seen-a-parallelism-between-this-function/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [The Arab Spring has heightened the ideological tension between Ankara and Tehran, and Turkey's model seems to be winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/the-arab-spring-has-heightened-the-ideological-tension-between-ankara/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) > [Foreign journalists writing about Turkey like to focus on the most fundamental divide in Turkish society: the rift between religious conservatives and secularists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-akyol/foreign-journalists-writing-about-turkey-like-to-focus-on-the-most/) [Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) [Explore all 44 Mustafa Akyol quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-akyol/) ## More 19th century quotes > [Though my grandmother had picked up modern ideas in America, she still had some conflicting 19th-century Irish notions. 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(at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/like-the-railroads-that-brought-us-together-in-the-19th-century-these/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [By tracing the careers of the four members of the Philosophical Breakfast Club, Laura Snyder has found a wonderful way not just to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-standage/by-tracing-the-careers-of-the-four-members-of-the-philosophical/) [Tom Standage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-standage/) > [If you look back on the history of the 20th century, the 19th century or even to the ancien régime of the 18th, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/if-you-look-back-on-the-history-of-the-20th-century-the-19th-century/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [If you look at that incredible burst of fantastic characters that emerged in the late 19th century/early 20th century, you can see so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/if-you-look-at-that-incredible-burst-of-fantastic-characters-that/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [ . . . Luddites were those frenzied traditionalists of the early 19th century who toured \[England\] wrecking new weaving machines on the theory that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/luddites-were-those-frenzied-traditionalists-of-the-early-19th/) [James A. 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I don't think that today's women see motherhood as a source…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-wright/an-ethic-of-maternalism-was-central-to-the-utopianism-of-19th-century/) Clare Wright Browse all 383 19th century quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the 19th century, when Muslims were looking at Europe as an example, they were independent; they were more self-confident. In the early 20th century, with the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the whole Middle East was colonized. And when you have colonization, what do you have? 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