The work of the Orientalists: its influence on modern Islamic thought, by Malek Bennabi, Preface by Sadek Sellam, Héritage Editions

Unlike one of his "disciples", who titled an article "A book not to be read", Bennabi , who disapproved of this text, did not advise against reading the work of orientalists. He proposed to study the publications of non-Muslims on Islam according to the possibilities and difficulties of the Islamic Renaissance. These difficulties were due to the consequences of the “ideological struggle in the colonized countries”. These countries risked being kept in a “dependent state”.

For Bennabi , the nostalgia that the apology of Islamic civilization inspires in Muslims can have a harmful effect. This is why he recommended the maximum of discernment and the development of a Muslim thought sufficiently adapted to the requirements of the hour so that the Muslim intellectuals could take part in exchanges with those who accept loyal dialogue.

About the Author: Malek Bennabi

Malek Bennabi (1905-1973) studied the problems of civilization in general and those of the Muslim world for a long time. Strongly imbued with Arab-Muslim and Western culture, we owe him the concept of "colonizability", a concept characterizing societies in decline. He has to his credit more than twenty books dealing with civilization, culture, ideology in general and problems related to the stagnation of Muslim society in particular. Through his writings, Malek Bennabi wanted to awaken Muslim consciences and relaunch a renaissance of Muslim society.