So what about Europe?
What about Europe? Why does everyone need to compare the Middle East or the decolonized world with Europe?
As much as Europeans went abroad messing the world up, they were screwing with Europe itself for century upon century before that.
Except Europeans didn't colonize each other's lands and implement racialized policies to bring about a decline in another nation's standard of living, population, literacy, and economy. The sole exception to this is Ireland which faced all of the above, but was able to achieve independence much faster than most decolonized states.
And when the Europeans were forced out (thanks to American pressure to save face against anti-American Soviet propaganda) Western-friendly elites were installed to keep the population in check and to ensure no form of resistance would emerge to challenge Western hegemony.
I love how "screwing with Europe itself for century upon century" is seen as equal to wiping out entire nations, languages, religions and destroying entire economies for the benefit of the imperial centers.
Nazi Germany occupied basically the whole of mainland Europe and committed atrocities the world could hardly believe.
Guess what? The Nazis also occupied parts of the Middle East and the decolonized world. People in those regions also felt the effects of Nazis, and Axis, injustice and it's not like the Allies were any better.
Then the continent was cut up and divided between the USA and USSR for their proxy ideological war [...]
And the rest of the world wasn't? The USA and USSR continually interfered in the Middle East and the decolonized world. With both sides arming dictators and fascist groups in their stupid proxy wars that cost thousands of lives. We need not look further than the creation of Israel and the funding of several Middle Eastern dictatorships. The USA started a civil-war in Lebanon because it was and still is a petulant child.
Islamic world is not really that messed up compared to Europe a hundred years ago.
What does that even mean?