Therefore, the styles of evoking the nationalist tendency and patriotic chauvinism in the capital of the Khilafah bore fruit and the European countries, especially Britain and France, achieved a great success in dealing the Islamic State a horrific and devastating blow. However, the European countries and Britain in particular did not restrict themselves to this style, despite its wickedness and its horrific results. For since the 16th century they adopted another style against Islam. This was due to the animosity simmering in their souls and the grudge eroding their hearts against Islam and against the thoughts and rules of Islam. Hence, alongside this style, they used to proceed with another style to hit the Islamic Aqa’id (doctrines)

and the Islamic legislation. Istanbul and Beirut were the two main centres taken up by the Kuffar as their base and they also attempted to turn Cairo into another centre. As for the Beirut centre, the plan designed for it was meant to have a long term effect by graduating the youth who would be hostile to Islam and by affecting the thoughts of the common Muslims. They proceeded with this plan by way of missionary invasion and cultural invasion under the guise of science and they dedicated for this huge expenditures. Hence, they established missionary Committees, most of which were British, French and American Committees. They also proceeded with the cultural invasion via the missions and the missionaries in order to win over the Christian citizens to their side and to raise the doubts of the Muslims about their Deen and to shake their Aqeedah.

The disbelievers established at the end of the century a large missionary centre in Malta which they used as a base for their missionary and cultural invasion of the Islamic lands. It is from there that missionary forces used to be despatched. They settled in Malta for a while but soon they sensed the need to expand their activity. Hence they moved to Al-Sham in 1625

and attempted to establish missionary movements. However, their activity was limited and did not extend beyond establishing a few small schools and publishing some religious books. They endured a great deal of suffering, ranging from persecution, rejection and hostility from everyone, both Muslims and Christians. However, they persevered until 1773, whereafter the missionary Committees of the Jesuits were abolished and their institutions shut down, except for some of the weaker missionary Committees such as the Committee of the "Azariyyin" missionaries.

Despite the presence of the missionary Committees, the effect of the missionaries withered and their activity was confined to Malta. However, in 1820, they renewed their activity and they established the first missionary centre in Beirut. Their main attention was devoted to religious missionary work and religious culture, and their concern with education was partial.

In 1834, the missionary expeditions spread throughout the whole of Al- Sham. This was due to the encouragement of Ibrahim Pasha, his opening of the area widely before the missionaries, his sympathy towards them and his support for them under the influence and the instructions of the French. By that time he had occupied Al-Sham : Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. Hence, the missionaries were warmly greeted and welcomed by the government of Ibrahim Pasha and consequently their activity intensified.

Consequently, a college was opened in the village of Ainturah in Lebanon and the American mission transferred its press to Beirut in order to print and publish books. The infamous American missionary Eli Smith became remarkably active. He had been working in Malta as a volunteer and used to supervise the mission’s press. He came to Beirut in 1827 but became terrified of the Muslims and weary of the lack of productivity.

He went to Malta when he could no longer bear it. He then returned to Beirut in 1834 when it came under French influence thanks to Muhammad Ali and his son Ibrahim. The missionary and his wife opened a female school, then his scope widened. Hence he dedicated his life to working in Beirut in particular and in Al-Sham in general. In this way, all these efforts helped to kick-start the missionary movement.

The initiative undertaken by Ibrahim Pasha to implement the education curriculum in Syria and which was already applied in Egypt, had been adopted from the French education curriculum. This served as an opportunity for those missionaries, to contribute to the educational movement from a missionary viewpoint, according to what the Kuffar had planned. It then widened to include the press movement. Hence, the missionary movement became active and participated in the educational movement in a conspicuous manner.

When Ibrahim Pasha withdrew from Al-Sham in 1840 unrest, chaos and disturbance spread in Al-Sham and the Western emissaries, especially the missionaries took advantage of the Ottoman State’s lack of influence to flare up strife among the population. Hence, the massacres of 1860 took place. In the wake of these massacres, the Western countries intervened and dispatched their warships to the coasts of Al-Sham. France disembarked a land force in Beirut and this increased the influence of the missionaries and strengthened their hand. The French became active in establishing schools and colleges and the Jesuits opened their schools and colleges, among which were the Jesuit College known as the “St Joseph Jesuit University” and in 1866, the Americans opened the Protestant College known today as the American University of Beirut. This university is considered to be the most horrific Kufr institution in the Islamic lands, for it has launched the fiercest campaigns against the Islamic thoughts and against the Muslims and has managed to shift the allegiance of thousands of Muslim youth towards the Kufr thoughts.

The attention given to missionary and cultural invasions was not solely confined to America, France and Britain - it rather engulfed most of the disbelieving countries, such as Tsarist Russia, who dispatched a host of missionary expeditions. A Prussian expedition also arrived in the country, being formed of Karodt nuns who played their part alongside the other missionary expeditions in combating Islam. Despite the difference in political viewpoints amongst the missionary expeditions and the other Western emissaries, as far as their political approach and their interests were concerned, they were of one accord about the objective.This was to inspire the Western culture in the east, establish the Aqeedah of separating the Deen from the state as an Aqeedah for the Muslims, arouse in the Muslims suspicions about their Deen, and to incite them to resent and to scorn their history and to glorify the West and its culture. All of this was with deep hatred and disdain for Islam and Muslims.

In addition to the schools and colleges, they established a movement aimed at steering people towards the Arabic language, in order to lead them away from Islam by it, and towards what they called Arabism. The banner of this movement was carried by the Christians, despite their lack of understanding of the Arabic language, due to their inability to appreciate the eloquence of the Qur’an. Hence the Maronites, most of whom were in the service of the missionary expeditions, used to discuss the revival of the old literature and the restoration of the old characteristics of the classical Arabic language. Among those were Nasif Al-Yaziji and Father Louis Sheikho. Thus, the Maronites headed the campaign for Arab nationalism and encouraged people to adopt it. They also headed the campaign for the Arabic language and encouraged people to confine their attention to it. In addition to this, books and publications carrying Western thoughts started to emerge and a strong wave towards Arabs and Arabism and towards the Arabic language swept the area, coupled by an increased shunning of Islam and the thoughts of Islam. Hence, the Beirut centre dealt a blow to :