خلاصة:
Among the researchers who have examined the studies conducted by non-Muslim, non-Arab Western scholars is Dr. Abduljabar Naji, a contemporary Iraqi scholar and university professor in Iraq. He authored a book titled Al-Tashii' wa Al-Istishraq (Shiism and Orientalism), divided into nine chapters. One of the topics discussed in this book, entitled "Exaggeration and Extremists in Orientalist Studies," is subject to both content and structural critique. Therefore, this research aims to analyze and critique the methodology and content of the author’s work. Using a descriptive and analytical approach, the examination reveals that although the study possesses some strengths, it is also plagued by significant structural and substantive shortcomings. Among the most noteworthy structural issues are the use of a single title for all of Chapter Nine, scattered topics, and a lack of citations. Content-wise, problems include conflating issues, weak conceptual definitions, inadequate explanation of Orientalists’ viewpoints, presenting revivalism as an extremist hypothesis, sensationalizing Abdullah ibn Saba, shortcomings in articulating the goals of Orientalists, and insufficient introduction of Shiite works for critique of Orientalist studies.
ملخص الجهاز:
Regarding content-related flaws, one can point to the conflation of discussions, weak conceptualization, failure to accurately clarify Orientalists' viewpoints, presenting "Raj'a" (Return) as an extremist conjecture, the mythologizing of Abdullah ibn Saba, deficiencies in explaining the objectives of Orientalists, and insufficient introduction to Shiite works in critiquing Orientalists.
Some of the positive aspects of the aforementioned work include: the author's extensive information regarding the works of Orientalists in various fields related to Shiism, containing useful descriptive and reportorial content, the presence of abundant data about Orientalists and their works and viewpoints, drawing attention to some Orientalists' perspectives and approaches and critiquing them, highlighting American and Israeli Orientalists and drawing attention to their objectives, the effort to draw attention to Orientalists' studies from the beginning of the Shiite era to the current period and the Islamic Revolution, providing a detailed presentation of Orientalists' views and works in the field of Mahdism, and the practical utility of the book for students and professors.
On the other hand, items such as lack of structural coherence, lack of mastery over works conducted in the Persian language on various subjects, frequent repetitive discussions, fragmented writing, failure to provide an overview and precise definition at the beginning of chapters, the use of harsh expressions regarding some Orientalists, an emotional, sloganist, and oratorical tone in some instances, presenting some topics ambiguously, lack of mastery over theological and Hadith foundations, lack of attention to all fundamental topics and issues of Shiism, lack of typology of Orientalists, failure to critique certain viewpoints, and incorrect analyses by Orientalists and the provision of incomplete information can be considered among the negative points and deficiencies of the present work.
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