Harakati za umisionari zilianza kweli kabla ya Mapinduzi ya Viwanda kuzuka barani Ulaya katika karne ya 18, na ziliendelea hadi Dola ya Kiislamu ilipovunjwa mwaka 1924. Kituo kikubwa cha umisionari kilianzishwa Malta kuelekea mwishoni mwa karne ya 16. Kituo hiki kilitumika kama makao makuu ambayo kutoka hapo walifanya shambulio lao la kiumisionari dhidi ya ulimwengu wa Kiislamu, lakini mwaka 1625 walihamia al-Sham na kujaribu kuanzisha harakati za kiumisionari huko pia. Wamisionari hawakupata mafanikio makubwa zaidi ya kuanzisha shule chache na kuchapisha vitabu vichache vya masuala ya kidini, na hatimaye walishindwa mwaka 1773 shughuli zao zilipofungwa na wakarudi Malta.

The missionary movement actually started before the Industrial Revolution erupted in Europe in the 18th Century, and it continued until the Islamic State was dismantled in 1924. A huge missionary centre was established in Malta towards the end of the 16th century. This acted as the headquarters from which they conducted their missionary onslaught on the Muslim world, but in 1625 they moved to al-Sham and tried to establish missionary movements there as well. The missionaries did not find much success beyond establishing a couple of schools and publishing few a books on religious matters, finally succumbing to failure in 1773 when their activities were shut down and they returned to Malta.

Mafanikio ya kweli kwa wamisionari yalipatikana katika karne ya 19 wakati Dola ya Kiislamu ilipoanza kuanzisha aina mbalimbali za mageuzi, yanayojulikana kama Tanzimat, yaliyolenga hasa kupunguza shinikizo lililokuwa likiongezeka kutoka Magharibi. Mageuzi haya yaliathiri maeneo mengi, ikiwa ni pamoja na ardhi, ushuru na haki za wasio Waislamu. Ingawa baadhi yao yalikuwa wazi kabisa yakipingana na Uislamu, Dola ya Kiislamu wakati huo kwa kweli ilirejea ijtihad na ikahitimisha kwamba mageuzi haya hayakupingana na Shari‘ah. Kwa hiyo haiwezekani kusema kwamba walitekeleza sheria za Kufr, kwa sababu katika akili za Waislamu, hatua hizi hazikupingana na Shari‘ah.

The real breakthrough for the missionaries was made during the 19th Century when the Islamic State started to introduce various types of reforms, known as Tanzimat, mostly aimed at diffusing the increasing pressure from the West. These reforms affected many areas, including land, taxation and the rights of non-Muslims. Although some of them were clearly contradictory to Islam, the Islamic State at that time did actually refer to ijtihad and it concluded that these reforms did not contradict the Shari‘ah. So one cannot say that they implemented Kufr laws because in the minds of the Muslims, these measures did not contradict Shari‘ah.

Sehemu za mageuzi hayo zilihusisha kutoa uhuru mkubwa zaidi kwa raia Wakristo wa Dola ya Kiislamu. Makhalifa walizipa nchi kama Urusi na Ufaransa mamlaka karibu kamili ya kushughulikia matatizo yanayohusu Wakristo, na nchi hizi zilitumia fursa hiyo kuingia ndani ya Dola ya Kiislamu. Dirisha hili la fursa lilisababisha kuongezeka kwa nguvu kwa kazi ya umisionari na kutayarisha njia ya kuanzishwa kwa kituo cha umisionari huko Beirut mwaka 1820. Kituo hiki kilikusudiwa kuwa kama saratani hatari iliyoenea katika Dola yote ya Kiislamu, kikifanya kazi kama kichocheo cha kudhoofika kwa Khilafah ya ‘Uthmaniyyah.

Parts of these reforms included a greater autonomy for the Christian citizens of the Islamic State. The Khulafa’ gave countries like Russia and France an almost free hand in dealing with problems relating to Christians, and these countries used this opportunity to infiltrate the Islamic State. This window of opportunity led to a greater vigour in missionary work and paved the way for the establishment of a missionary centre in Beirut in 1820. This centre was to act as the deadly cancer that spread all over the Islamic State, acting as a catalyst in the decline of the ‘Uthmani Khilafah.

Wamishonari hapo mwanzo walikabiliana na matatizo makubwa, lakini waliendelea na shughuli zao kwa uvumilivu.

The missionaries initially faced great difficulties but they persisted with their activities.

Eneo lao la kwanza lilikuwa uhubiri wa kidini na utamaduni wa kidini; mpango wao wa elimu ulibaki mdogo na dhaifu. Walifanikiwa kufungua chuo katika kijiji cha A‘ntoura nchini Lebanon. Mission ya Kimarekani ilihamisha chapa yake ya uchapishaji kutoka Malta hadi Beirut ili kuchapisha na kusambaza vitabu vyake, na walipenya eneo lote la al-Sham kufikia mwaka 1834.

Their first area of concern was religious preaching and religious culture; their education programme remained limited and weak. They managed to open a college in the village of A‘ntoura in Lebanon. The American mission transferred its print shop from Malta to Beirut in order to print and distribute its books, and they penetrated the entire region of al-Sham by 1834.

Mmishonari mmoja mashuhuri wa kipindi hiki alikuwa Mmarekani Eli Smith, ambaye alikuwa amefanya kazi huko Malta kama mtu wa kujitolea aliyesimamia chapisho la mission. Eli Smith alifika Beirut mwaka 1827, lakini mwaka mmoja baadaye hofu na kuchoka kulimfukuza, naye akarudi Malta. Baadaye alirudi Beirut mwaka 1834 na pamoja na mkewe akafungua shule ya wasichana. Eneo lake la kazi lilipanuka, naye akajitolea maisha yake kufanya kazi huko al-Sham, hasa Beirut.

One notable missionary from this period was the American Eli Smith, who had been working in Malta as a volunteer in charge of the mission press. Eli Smith arrived in Beirut in 1827 but a year later fear and boredom drove him out and he returned to Malta. He next returned to Beirut in 1834 and together with his wife opened a school for girls. His area of work broadened and he devoted his life to working in al-Sham, Beirut in particular.

Hatua nyingine iliyowapa wamisionari fursa ilikuja pale Ibrahim Pasha alipopitisha na kutekeleza mtaala mpya wa elimu ya msingi nchini Syria. Mizizi ya mtaala huu ilitokana na mfumo wa elimu wa Misri, ambao nao ulichukuliwa kutoka mfumo wa elimu huria wa Ufaransa. Ibrahim pia alilazimisha ukusanyaji wa kodi wa mara kwa mara, jambo lililofungua njia kwa wasio Waislamu kushika nyadhifa serikalini, na alitangaza dhana ya Kiulaya ya usawa wa raia wote mbele ya sheria. Wamisionari walitumia fursa hii na kuongeza shughuli zao, wakipanua pia kazi zao za uchapishaji. Jesuit, ambao utaratibu wao ulikuwa umesimamishwa na Papa mwaka 1773, walirejea kwa nguvu kubwa, na wamisionari wa Kiprotestanti wa Uingereza na Marekani walijenga msingi imara kwa kuanzisha Kanisa la Kiprotestanti la Syria mwaka 1839. Kufuatia hilo, Chuo cha Kiprotestanti cha Syria, ambacho sasa ni Chuo Kikuu cha Marekani cha Beirut, kilianzishwa mwaka 1866, na shughuli za Jesuit zikafikia kilele chake katika Universite Saint-Joseph ya Beirut mwaka 1874.

A further opportunity came for the missionaries when Ibrahim Pasha adopted and implemented a new primary education syllabus in Syria. The roots of this syllabus lied in the Egyptian educational system which in turn was taken from the French libertian system. Ibrahim also enforced regular taxation, opening the way for the non-Muslims to hold posts in the government, and proclaimed the European view of equality of all citizens before the law. The missionaries took advantage of this opportunity and intensified their activities, expanding their printing works in the process. The Jesuits, whose order had been suspended by the Pope in 1773, returned in force, and British and American Protestant missionaries established a firm foothold by establishing the Protestant Church of Syria in 1839. Following on from this the Syrian Protestant College, now the American University of Beirut, was established in 1866 and Jesuit activity culminated in Universite Saint-Joseph in Beirut in 1874.