‘Discovering’ Islam in the
Early Modern Period
Nur Alya Omar
Would it be surprising if I told you that people in the
early modern period were just as interested in Muslims
as they are now? My first taste of this topic was
when I had the opportunity to read about Marlowe’s
representation of religion in his plays. Being a Muslim
myself, I guess it was only natural that I gravitated
towards that topic and this interest stuck with me
long enough that I knew I wanted to pursue this topic
at a higher level. That, my friends, is how I came to
write about Islam’s representation in the early modern
period for my MA dissertation. Here is where I’ll share
with you some (not all!) of the discoveries I made while
researching on the topic.
Back then, Muslims weren’t called ‘Muslims’. Terms like
‘Moor’ or ‘Turk’ were far more common, meaning that
it was pretty much geographically-linked. Interestingly,
the term ‘Moor’ itself wasn’t JUST used to describe
Muslims, but was a general term for anyone who was
not… well, a ‘European Christian’. It’s kind of like how
some people equate all Arabs with Muslims today, even
though we know that’s not true.
Early modern plays in England show a fascination with
the outside world. For example, Shakespeare’s plays
themselves frequently took place abroad. It offered
some sense of protection in a time when criticizing
your own country was deemed a punishable, like when
Ben Jonson and Thomas Nashe landed themselves
deep into the Thames (figuratively) for writing a play
so offensive that no copies exist today. However,
that didn’t mean all the plays were about criticizing
one’s own country, nor did that mean the playwright’s
representations were accurate. For example, even
though John Fletcher’s The Island Princess takes
place in Indonesia, the accuracy of the play’s take on
its culture is completely off. Although the characters
themselves are supposed to be ‘Muslims’, Fletcher
lumps them in the same category as pagans, having
them declare their worship to deities in ways which
Islam itself forbids. Arguably, Fletcher couldn’t
have known about these things because, like his
contemporaries, he’s based his stories off reports from
other authors (and researching probably wasn’t as
precise as it needs to be today), but this is just one of
the many instances that are interesting to think about
when comparing what Muslims actually practice.
We also find depictions of Muslim women being
presented as either damsels in distress waiting for a
white savior or sexually devious creatures (or even
both!) in early modern plays. In Philip Massinger’s The
Renegado, Donusa asks Carazie to describe women
in England, which he claims have more freedom
compared to her. This sets up the impression that
Donusa is an oppressed figure in the play and that
unlike her, the women of the Western world enjoy far
more liberties than Muslim women. Of course, if we
were to read up on what it was actually like for women
in the early modern period, we’d know that Carazie’s
words are essentially lies. On the other hand, we
have characters like Voada from Robert Daborne’s A
Christian Turned Turk whose bodies are sexualized by
both the Muslim and non-Muslim characters in the play.
Of course, none of this would be complete without
delving into William Shakespeare’s Othello. Interestingly,
at one point Iago tells Desdemona ‘Nay, it is true, or
else I am a Turk’ (Othello, II.1.114) when she calls him
a liar. Although this scene is meant to be light-hearted,
it’s still ironic that Iago lies his whole way through the
play. If Turks (most likely implying Muslims) are bad
men, this suggests that he himself is a Turk, maybe not
by religious association but by the characteristics that
supposedly make one. Othello’s religious ambiguity has
also been a hot topic of debate for ages. He is a Moor,
153
History is
a vicious
cycle,
after all.
In Room 9508 otherwise known as
the Communication Lab (2013). ▶