Explaining the Concept of Edward Saeed Orientalism and The Place of Islam Vis-à-vis the West On the Basis of Edward Saeed Theory

From the time that the West and Christian Europe defined a specific identity for itself there arose the need to define the East as its opposite. The West tried to define itself in confrontation with the East. In other words the East was the rival which the West tried to distance itself from it in order to find a specific identity. The West therefore, tried to define and explain the East in such a way as to show itself different and in contrast with it. In this direction oriental studies in the West took shape to show that the East is different from the West. Oreintalism is an important discipline which took shape in the new era and its aim was not mere knowledge and understanding the East. Its aim and objective was rather making an identity for Europe against "others". The East, as a different and distinguished experience has helped Europe to have and independent identity. The East has been complementary and an indicator for European culture and civilization. The West's oriental studies are also the expression of cultural and ideological view of the West and therefore a Western dialogue about the East. Oriental studies can therefore be interpreted in the framework of East-West confrontation. The views expressed by them about the Eastern people and in particular the Muslims on many occasions have come under criticism by the Eastern thinkers. The questions which arise now are what is orientalism and how the West knows the East? What has been the confrontation of the West with Islam? It is obvious that the East has had an ancient and deep culture and civilization. Therefore the West while laying the foundation of its culture and development by its so called research and oriental studies tried to belittle and degrade the culture of the East and consider it primitive. The West wants to infuse this belief that its approach and perception towards nature and world problems are objective and empirical while the East views are poetical and imaginary and they are basically backward and traditionalist. By this argument the West wants to prove that the East will not be able to progress and will lag behind the pace of civilization. In their view if the East wants to advance it should follow and emulate the Western model of progress and development. These views coincided with the West invasion of the Eastern territories. As a colonial power they plundered the culture and civilization of the East and behind their action was a political and ideological motive. The confrontation of the West with Islam has had colonial and exploitative motives rather than political. The Western encounter with Islam is based on subjective and objective thinking that they themselves have created. Thus the understanding and knowledge that the West is having about the East and Islam is devoid of evolutionary values of the East and the deep belief of Muslims in religion.