Useful Enemies: Islam And The Ottoman Empire In... May 2026

This guide outlines the key themes and historical arguments in by Sir Noel Malcolm.

The book examines how Western European thinkers used the Ottoman Empire and Islam as intellectual tools—or "useful enemies"—to debate their own political and religious systems during the early modern period. Core Argument Useful Enemies: Islam and the Ottoman Empire in...

Radical writers began portraying Islam as a religion specifically engineered for political control. This guide outlines the key themes and historical

The idea of "oriental despotism" did not begin as a simple insult. It evolved as a response to positive assessments of Ottoman power. Useful Enemies: Islam and the Ottoman Empire in...

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