The Islam of the 18th, 19th and first half of the 20th century was a poor thing. Nobody bothered about it. Islam was that funny sort of pure system of beliefs that depressed people in the Middle East held as their religion.

Summary

This quote suggests that up until the first half of the 20th century, Islam was not highly regarded or taken seriously by many. It describes how people in the Middle East viewed their religion as a "funny sort of pure system of beliefs" that was followed by those who were depressed or downtrodden. The quote implies that during this time, Islam was not given much attention or thought by the wider world, portraying it as a neglected and marginalized faith.