The Colonial History They Don’t Want You to Remember

The British Raj in India, the French in West Africa, the Spanish in Latin America, or the Belgian horrors in Congo are the first things that come to mind when the word colonialism is used. Our textbooks, scholarly conversations, and political debates are dominated by these tales. There are other colonial tales worth recounting, even though the European colonial experience was unquestionably extensive and destructive.

It is frequently forgotten that other empires were engaging in control, cultural repression, and conquest long before European ships ever sailed to foreign shores. The early Arab and Islamic empires were among the most significant of them.

Colonialism Beyond Europe

In addition to a religion, the advent of Islam in the seventh century brought about military and political conquests that altered continents. Arab forces invaded Spain, North Africa, and Persia in less than a century. These were not passive spiritual experiences; rather, they were conquests that altered civilizations, overthrew governments, and, frequently, destroyed whole cultural traditions.

Languages were moved. Arabic was frequently downplayed in favor of Berber and Persian dialects. New administrative systems that consolidated authority under caliphates replaced local governance institutions. Old customs and faiths were either assimilated, weakened, or completely eradicated. Centuries of cultural erasure and fusion had place in the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain (Al-Andalus).

Why These Stories Are Overlooked

What, therefore, prevents these narratives from frequently appearing in popular colonial discourse?

Framing Religion
Rather than being described as invasion, Islamic expansion is frequently told from a spiritual or "civilizational" perspective. The harsher realities of repression and forced absorption are less highlighted than the scientific, artistic, and architectural accomplishments of Islamic civilizations.

Scholarship that is Eurocentric
In the West, where Europe's empires around the world have been the main emphasis, modern colonial studies first appeared. Consequently, other colonial histories are not regarded as essential parts of world history, but rather as incidental material.

Identity and Selective Memory
The notion of a powerful Islamic empire is associated with pride and identity in many civilizations. Because it can be awkward to acknowledge the colonial elements, the story is either romanticized, softened, or disregarded.

The Lasting Legacies

There are repercussions if these histories are ignored. Previous invasions created severe wounds, just like the European colonial era did:

Cultural Loss: It is still challenging to bring back marginalized or extinct languages, customs, and indigenous knowledge systems.

Historical Silence: Blind spots in education and public understanding are caused by generations of people who are raised to believe that colonialism is solely a European phenomena.

Contemporary Conflicts: These conquests are frequently cited as the origin of borders, ethnic divisions, and religious disputes throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Addressing today's issues requires an understanding of them.

In Search of a Completer Past

Reducing the savagery of European colonialism is not the goal of acknowledging the colonial histories of the Arabs and Muslims. Rather, the goal is to present a more complete and truthful picture of human history. All empires, European, Arab, Mongol, and others that grew via conquest and repression engaged in colonial activities that influenced the development of our contemporary world.

We need to expand the discussion in order to fully comprehend colonization. Only then will we be able to see the common experiences of hardship, resiliency, and survival that bind us all together.
 

SUPPORT EX-MUSLIM COMMANDO TODAY VIA PAYPAL