Why did Muslim states fail to keep European Imperialists out of their lands?

Answer 1

The Muslim states were unable to prevent colonization by European Imperialists because of:

Superior Military Power: The Europeans had military technologies that were significantly more advanced than anything in the arsenals of all of the Islamic States (with the exception of the Ottoman Empire). As a result, they were able to massacre any army sent to impose their colonial expeditions.

Treaties Between Muslim Rulers and Imperialists: Several colonizers, the British especially, preferred to leave the conquered Islamic Empires in charge of their domains since they already had a number of ministers and officials on the local levels in the various territories. The colonizers would then dictate what the Islamic Empire would need to do and the state would comply in order to remain in what little power and luxury they still had, sacrificing the welfare of their citizens to remain in beautiful palaces.

Protection of Minorities: Christians, Jews, and other religious minorities were in a terrible position in the Islamic World prior to colonial arrival, where they were forced to pay additional taxes and unable to actively take part in governmental affairs. In the colonial system, all indigenous inhabitants were equal. Christians and Jews took the opportunity to ascend to higher ranks in government, receive superior Western eduction, and become entrepreneurs under the colonial auspices. As a result, these minorities became staunchly protective of the colonizers since they had essentially liberated them.

Divide and Conquer: Relatively straightforward, the Europeans would draw borders arbitrarily to prevent one ethnic group from being able to unite entirely against the colonizers and would include multiple ethnic groups with animosity towards each other to be in the same colonial borders to prevent them from working together for independence. A good example of the first would be the Baloch in British India and Persia. A good example of the second would be the Acehnese and Balinese in Indonesia.