Israel's actions in Gaza and throughout Palestine after October 7 have led to unforeseen developments. The colonial history of Western Europe, especially that of the Anglo-Saxons, has come to the forefront, aligning with the historical perspective outside Europe. As a result, it became apparent in European countries and the United States that Anglo-Saxons were responsible for Israel's war crimes. Predicting how the UK and the US will respond to these developments is not challenging, considering their efforts, at least since the 1990s, to undermine positive changes regarding Islam due to the blows dealt to the Muslim image. However, it is essential to focus on the statements of those who claim to have recently discovered Islam or express a change in their views on Islam. Following the horrendous escalation of Israel's violence in Gaza, individuals in Europe proclaiming their newfound Muslim identity, expressing altered views on Islam, or declaring that Gazans have liberated themselves have become noticeable. This phenomenon is unprecedented and should be analyzed within the political and intellectual context where the Eastern, Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian images conform to orientalist representations.
In the nineteenth century, Western European countries established societies based on the principle of "benevolent philanthropy," aiming to complete the civilizing mission for the Eastern world in the peak era of colonial expansion. They sought to civilize the East, and this idea of civilizing the East was inherently a colonialist ideology. Renowned literary figures like Rudyard Kipling were among the strongest proponents of this ideology. Unfortunately, there has been insufficient research on the reflections of this ideology. Consequently, the influences of the colonialist ideology and those circles unquestionably adopting Western-centric thoughts have not been fully revealed. The admiration and voluntary desire for change, which have evolved and become widespread, have never been adequately justified. Negative descriptors such as colonial mentality have always remained on the agenda. Even the idea that the West does not have a just approach encompassing all of humanity has been voiced since the early stages. However, in the 1990s, US liberalism emerged with a new face and revived the civilizing mission, causing much more significant damage than before.
It is worth examining the convergence of anti-imperialist anger with Marxist ideology outside the West. While it is necessary to discuss how Marxism aligns with psychology outside the West, this new ideology provided internal criticism for the West and facilitated the turning of anti-imperialist movements toward Marxism. Although the penetration of colonialist ideology and Marxism outside the West was based on different justifications, they eventually reached a compromise. Therefore, criticism of Eurocentrism is crucial. While both ideologies differed in their reasons for influencing outside the West, after a certain period, both ideologies found common ground. Hence, the criticism of Eurocentrism is crucial. When comparing both ideologies, Islamic social movements had a limited impact. Moreover, Islam was only a potential force that could mobilize the Muslim world and remained underutilized even in its own geographical context.
After the extraordinary resistance of Gazans, there has been a significant shift in perceiving Islam and reconsidering thoughts about Islam. While there was a trend toward Islam in Europe and the US in the last century, these were individual spiritual quests. Developments in the Islamic world were different. The inception of movements in the Islamic geography surrounding the Mediterranean resonated globally. In this context, early publications such as "The Collapse of Political Islam" serving a specific purpose have been released. Therefore, the renewed global interest in Islam after the resistance of Gazans is crucial.
It is evident that Islam is not directly the subject of spiritual quests this time. It is not easy to reduce this new trend for Europe and the US to political Islam. Europe's high standards for standards, raw material costs, and labor prices, the desire to keep its environmental impact within the continent, and the goal of increasing prosperity and keeping inflation low through cheap imports have led to the relocation of production to different geographies. This shift has been facilitated by importing cheaper products, resulting in considerable environmental damage. The overall picture indicates that European countries, especially the UK, are taking strategic steps to protect, if not enhance, their industries. Notably, while there is an undeniable need to address the environmental impact of steel and other imports, the UK's and Europe's recent actions also seem to serve as a response to global economic challenges and their attempts to cope with China's dominance in electric vehicles and steel production, given the high carbon footprint of these industries. This dual-faced view of the situation in Europe and the UK underscores the need for strategic measures to address environmental issues and maintain economic competitiveness.
Furthermore, it is anticipated that other countries, to protect their interests, may implement reciprocal and similar trade protection measures, leading to higher trade costs and increased risks of trade friction. It seems that the waters will not calm down in the world.
