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The academic study of Sufism in Western scholarship began more than two centuries ago. Drawing on the work of Edward Said, Carl Ernst has demonstrated that it had its origins largely in the need of European colonialists to better understand the religions, cultures and beliefs of the people they governed (1997: 1-18). 1 With the exception of some familiarity with the ideas of such figures as Rabi'a (d. 801), Ibn al-Farid (d. 1235) or Sa'di (d. 1292) in the pre-colonial period, very few in Europe or North America possessed any serious knowledge of the Sufi tradition (Chodkiewicz, 1994: 12; Schimmel, 2011: 7-8). We find mention of strange mendicants and exotic Easterners engaging in wild dances and chants, performing miraculous feats, or begging for money, in the travelogues of a wide range of adventurers and diplomats. These exotic characters became standard articles of attraction in travel packages that were offered to Europeans who had the means to journey to the so-called Orient. These packages included, for example, ''la grande tour,'' which provided an opportunity to venture into Ottoman territory and visit places such as the capital Constantinople as well as various regions of the Balkans. Egypt was also a popular destination, no doubt because it was home to the pyramids. The tales these travelers brought back with them helped create an image of exotic and ''mystical'' Orientals that proved difficult to shake, even for more probing and culturally self-reflective European intellectuals.The attention given to Sufism only took a serious scholarly turn after the colonial powers began to administer their new holdings in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The religion of the ''natives'' became important to state interests. Scholars who specialized in the languages and cultures of the East -Orientalists -were recruited and trained to study eastern religions. It was only natural that their study of these other religions would be undertaken largely through a Christian lens. The Orientalists Sir William Jones (d. 1794) and Sir John Malcolm (d. 1833), both of whom were associated with the British

This article explores the central arguments Edward Said puts forward in his Orientalism on the epistemological problems surrounding the "West's" knowledge of the "East," particularly the Islamic "East." It then proceeds to examine some of the responses these arguments have elicited from those who object to Orientalism's underlying critique, as exemplified in the writings of Bernard Lewis, and those who accept it with certain qualifications, as exemplified in the writings of Leela Gandhi. Neither of the responses is comprehensive; Lewis's counter-arguments overlook the underlying philosophical issues at stake, whereas Gandhi's response provides a more promising alternative to the future of our knowledge of the "East." I also present some defences of Said's positions that have been criticized by both Lewis and Gandhi.