hamilton gibb and harold bowen published "islamic society and the west" in 1950-57. gibb was one of the most famous orientalist of his day. in this book, they affirm that until the 19th century the islamic society was not influenced by the western civilization. islam was an expression of a fixed and unchangeable set of beliefs valid to every place and time. problems that muslims were facing during the 20th century could be understood through the medieval islamic thought. bowen and gibbs portrayed an islamic civilization that remained the same during the centuries, characterized by of despotism and lack of cohesion. they ignored the different forms of islam practiced in the world. from morocco to indonesia, all was considered the same static and rigid islamic society.