Islam, Racism and British Imperialism

Clinton Bennett offers a case study of the pervasiveness of racial attitudes through the Forsters, demonstrating the legacy of these ideas in respect to current debates surrounding immigration, national identity, and reparations for colonialism and slavery. This book explores Charles Forster’s provocative and heavily criticised writing in Mahometanism Unveiled (1829) and how it sought to re-establish Christian-Muslim relationships in 19th Century Britain. Suggesting that Islam should be seen as an ally by Christians in their attempts to civilise the world, this book explores his critics’ views at the time and the persistence of anti-Islamic attitudes. A century later his grandson E. M. Forster’s time in Egypt and India informed his own writing on class and racial bias. His contribution to challenging social attitudes is discussed against the backdrop of prevailing stereotypes and prejudices, exploring also his romantic relations with two Muslim men at a time when any type of inter-racial friendship was regarded as suspicious.