what did he mean by this

>>1443228
Europeans, and this is especially evident in Nietzsche, had a romanticized view of Islam in the 19th and first half of the 20th century that was based more on fiction works like The Tailsman than historical works by actual historians. Very similar to the fascination with Buddhism among white people today, and vice versa also why Christian missionaries in East Asia had so much success. They didn't know anything about it, it was just exotic and therefore interesting to them. Didn't help that Britain and France, and later Germany, made alliances with the Ottomans during this time and promoted an image their Muslim allies as "noble savages" while at the same time Christians are being massacred under Islamic rule. Notice how this fascination with Islam took place entirely in western Europe where no one had actually seen a Muslim in their entire life; the myth of Islamic tolerance was certainly unheard of in eastern Europe. You can be certain that if these western Europeans were alive today, they wouldn't say this.