Reflecting on the disciplinary history of Islamic studies, Leif Stenberg and Philip Wood (2022, pp. 2–3) trace its roots to European imperialism and the efforts of colonial powers to gain information on their “oriental” subjects in order to govern them more efficiently. Even in the post-colonial context, research has been motivated by foreign policy. This is especially true in the United States, where Islamic studies has typically been a part of Middle Eastern studies and has sought to address American concerns in the region (Hughes, 2007, p. 37; Stenberg & Wood, 2022, pp. 2–3). Accordingly, Islamic studies has carried a pronounced area studies orientation, with much emphasis being put on the Arabic language. To put it bluntly, Islam has been studied primarily as a “religion of Arabs” or a Middle Eastern religion more generally (Buskens, 2016). Needless to say, an overly pronounced focus on the Middle East easily leads to a skewed view of Islam and ignores the fact that the majority of Muslims do not reside in the region or speak Arabic as their mother tongue (Morgenstein Fuerst, 2020, p. 919).