‘West’s dominance rooted in distorting non-Western realities’

Islamabad:The deeply ingrained ‘West vs the Rest’ mindset has long driven the West to frame history, politics and culture in ways that justify its actions and reinforce its dominance, often at the cost of distorting non-Western realities. This selective historiography perpetuates a cycle of intellectual and political hegemony where narratives are framed to serve Western interests. To break this cycle, it is crucial to deconstruct these narratives and reclaim historical agency for a balanced global discourse.

This was the crux of thoughts shared by Prof Dr Bülent enay from the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Bursa Uluda University, Türkiye, and Dr Monjed Abu Bakr, an assistant professor at Istanbul 29 May s University, during a session organised by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) here on ‘Historiography and the Formulation of Collective Identity.’ Prof enay highlighted the global shift from geopolitics to theopolitics, which, he said, is rooted in Christian governance to establish divine sovereignty.

He noted that in contrast, Islam didn't serve a theopolitical vision as its governance structures, such as Khilafa, strived to establish a human-centred system rather than a divine one. "Muslims must uphold this vision and not misinterpret it through the theopolitical lens; otherwise, they risk becoming vulnerable to Western exploitation."

The scholar underscored how Western historiography, shaped by Hegelian and Orientalist thought, presented a linear, Eurocentric view of civilisation, saying this stands against the Quranic vision of universal and thematic history, centred on falah (success) and transformation and not constrained by national or tribal narratives. "This divergence underscores the need for Muslims to engage critically with history, recognizing that identity is constructed through memory and historical consciousness."