I think his “admiration” for Islam (being a Pasha, etc.) centered on the ability to run around in bed sheets and keep a collection of young women. I believe most young men in the West have this type of admiration. It’s known as “sewing your wild oats.”
I’m sure you meant “sowing your wild oats”. Oats tend to crumble when pierced with a sewing needle!
IMHO that’s “sowing your wild oats” & is usually practiced with a wide circle of women free to make their own choices, not harem slaves subject to a pasha’s whim.
British Orientalism is worthy of separate study as it influenced Britain’s foreign policy all across the Middle East and can explain its sometimes frosty relations with the state of Israel.