Page 346 - History of The Quranic Text | Kalamullah.Com

326 THE HISTORY OF THE QUR'ANIC TEXT

(he declares) has been one of establishing a past which, while glorifying
ancient Israel's claim to the land, simultaneously devalues and displaces
all indigenous histories and cultures." As such, Biblical scholars aim to
deprive Palestinians of their land at present by depriving them of it in the
past.

Biblical studies has formed part of the complex arrangement of schol-
arly, economic, and military power by which Palestinians have been
denied a contemporary presence or history '?

Refuting his views, Hershel Shanks cites at length the numerous non-
Israelite cultures in the area which have recently seen a scholarly revival:
Philistines, Edomites, Moabites, Arameans, Hurrians, Canaanites. He acc-
uses Whitelam of politicising history and concludes that while pro-Zionist
scholars have tried to shift away from the subjectivity of years past, the
same is not true of Keith Whitelam."
In perusing this review I was struck that nowhere does Hershel Shanks
refer to Islamic history, or to any associated scholarly revival. Is this casual
disregard not "part of the complex arrangement" through which Whitelam
sees Palestinians being denied their rightful authority and land? Which
culture, Canaanite or Muslim, best defines Palestinian self-identity, and
why is it being wholly neglected? Though finally prepared to acknowledge
the Palestinians' ancient customs and cultures, Shanks stillseems unwilling
to accord their contemporary religion its rightful place in the history of
the land. It is as though, in narrowing their sights exclusively on ancient
studies, Israeli and Western scholars view fourteen centuries of Muslim
culture as so much rubbish which they must shovel through before arriving
at the good stuff.

ii. An Orientalist Pioneer and Deceiver of Muslims

Returning to Orientalism, let us take one quick case study. In his Origins if
Muhammadan Jurisprudence Schacht writes,

I feel myself under a deep obligation to the masters of Islamic studies
in the last generation. The name of Snouck Hurgronje appears seldom
in this book; yet if we now understand the character of Muhammadan
Law, it is due to him.l''

16 ibid,p. 56.
17 ibid,p. 56, quoting Keith Whitelam.
18 ibid, p. 69.
19 Joseph Schacht, The Origins rf Muhammadan funsprudence, 2nd edition, Oxford Univ
Press, 1959, Preface.