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I agree that there are different perceptions of the word "colonialism".
Was it colonialism when muslims invaded Spain and established a Caliphate on the Iberian pennsula?
Was it colonialism when the the muslims defeated the Byzantine armies thus taking over what is today Iran, Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Jerusalem?
Was the muslim conquest of North Africa in 698 (and resulting Caliphate) considered colonialism?
Was muslim exapansion to the shores of the Indus River in India considered colonialism? When turkish muslims invaded and conquered India in 1192?
Was the muslim conquest of Sicily in 820 considered colonialism?
Was muslim dominance of China's commercial maritime interests during the Song dynasty considered colonial interference?
Was the invasion and establishment of an Islamic Caliphate in Egypt by Saladin considered hostile expansionism?
When Saladin temporarily captured Jerusalem from the Crusaders was it considered terrorism?
Was it colonialism when the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453, which until then had been a Christian city for more than a thousand years?
Was the muslim occupation of southern Italy in 1480, or the incursions into Vienna in 1529 considered colonialism?
Was the subjugation of the Hindus and establishment of the muslim Mughal Empire in India in 1601 considered colonialism?
Was the muslim invasion of Sudan in 1820 considered colonialism?
I think what might be relevant is that the muslim understanding of jihad (holy war) has historically demanded that successful conquest, ordained by god, must be inevitable. Therefore, defeat and humiliation at the hands of christians and jews in the 19-20-21st centuries could explain the type of cognitive dissonance, confusion or anger we see today.
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