Britain and the Islamic World, 1558–1713

Anglo‐Muslim relations in 18th‐century literature and culture

“…Most of the research on Anglo-Muslim relations has focused on English (and European) representations of Muslims rather than the other way around. Historians rather than literary critics have been most helpful in starting to correct the imbalance (Aksan, 2007;Faroqhi, 1999;Finkel, 2005;Goffman, 2009;Inalcik, Faroqhi, McGowan, Quataert, & Pamuk, 1994;Quataert, 2009;Talbot, 2017), though MacLean and Matar, individually and collaboratively, have done important work on Anglo-Ottoman and Arabic travel narratives in the early modern period (Matar, 2003;MacLean, 2007;MacLean & Matar, 2011). El-Enany's (2006, rept., 2011 work is also useful, though he attends to representations of Westerners in Arabic fiction mostly after 1800, with only a brief discussion of the Egyptian historian Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti (1754-1825) and the Lebanese chronicler Niqula al-Turk (1763-1828).…”

“…Furthermore, reports of the relatively positive treatment of religious minorities in the Ottoman Empire posed a significant complication to toleration debates in Europe (B. Lewis, 1995;MacLean & Matar, 2011;Malcolm, 2019;Matar, 1998). An evolving array of allowances and obligations pertained to protected minorities (dhimmis) under the Ottoman millet system (Robinson, 2007;Toenjes, 2016;and De Bellaigue, 2017).…”

“…Zonana (1993) has analyzed this dynamic in relation to the displacement of criticisms of Western patriarchy onto spaces like the harem; Berland (2002) has argued that oriental tales enabled the projection of English problems onto an “Eastern” backdrop; and Grenby (2002) has shown that similar orientalist tropes could be used by a variety of political opponents. Furthermore, reports of the relatively positive treatment of religious minorities in the Ottoman Empire posed a significant complication to toleration debates in Europe (B. Lewis, 1995; MacLean & Matar, 2011; Malcolm, 2019; Matar, 1998). An evolving array of allowances and obligations pertained to protected minorities ( dhimmis ) under the Ottoman millet system (Robinson, 2007; Toenjes, 2016; and De Bellaigue, 2017).…”

The Teaching and Learning of Arabic in Early Modern Europe

“…This has much to do with Zechendorff's choice of suras. Apart from their convenient brevity, both sura 61 …”

“…Alongside his teaching, he proposed writing an anti-Islamic polemical work although he writes in the Memoria that he was unable to obtain copies of the manuscripts he needed to complete the project.60 During this time, he also translated a sermon by Clement XI into Arabic and Syriac, copies of which exist today in Glasgow and Moscow. 61 The Life and Hard Times of Solomon Negri post at the Vatican Library, a period during which he claims he grew tired of the 'superstitions of these people' (presumably, the Catholics), Negri decided to leave Rome. He told his colleagues in Rome that he planned to return to Syria but instead he decided to travel back to England.62 Back in England, Negri renewed his contacts with the German Lutheran community in London, and they encouraged him once again to return to Halle to teach Arabic.…”