In...: Useful Enemies: Islam And The Ottoman Empire

By presenting Islam as a man-made tool for state power, Enlightenment-era thinkers could indirectly attack the divine origins of Christianity.

Malcolm argues that the Ottomans were not just external threats to be feared, but in Western thought. Thinkers used Ottoman examples to: Useful Enemies: Islam and the Ottoman Empire in...

The idea of "oriental despotism" did not begin as a simple insult. It evolved as a response to positive assessments of Ottoman power. By presenting Islam as a man-made tool for

In the 16th century, writers often admired the Ottoman meritocratic slave system, which allowed talented individuals to rise regardless of birth. It evolved as a response to positive assessments

Later thinkers developed the "despotism" narrative to argue that the Sultan's absolute power over life and property was unnatural and destined for failure, using it as a warning for European monarchs. 2. Islam as a "Political Religion"