Religious orientalism : its roots and prominent founders

الملخص EN

This research paper comprising three parts aimed to investigate the issue of religious orientalism as far its emergence and development is concerned and the extent of influence this type of orientalism has on the image of Islam, the Glorious Quran, and prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) in the European continent.

The paper also dealt with the religious and political milieu that influenced the emergence of that type of orientalism in the middle Ages which witnessed violent military confrontations between the Muslim world and Christian Europe during the crusades and the radical changes undergone in the type of clashes that shifted from military to doctrinal.

Additionally, the paper examined the role of the European church in enhancing this sort of doctrinal confrontation at both individual as well as collective levels with special reference to the role of prominent clergymen in doing so.