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Sunday, September 5, 2010
Institute of Medieval and Post Medieval Studies
During the Medieval period, which became known as the Dark Ages in Europe, Islamic civilization was at its apex. Beginning in the 8th century, Muslim scholars from the Abbasid Empire in the East to Andalusia in the West, building upon the heritage of Egyptians, Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Hittites, Hebrews, Greeks, Persians, Indians and Chinese which had permeated the Phoenician and the Hellenic worlds, produced original achievements in many fields of learning. This knowledge not only inspired the great civilization that flourished in the parts of Eurasia and Africa within the Muslim domain; it was also passed on, especially through Islamic Spain, to Europe to become the foundation for Europe’s Renaissance and Reformation.
Given the current post-9/11 environment, the need for recalling Islamic contributions to civilization is paramount. Great men like Napoleon Bonaparte and George Bernard Shaw have paid glowing tributes to it. More recently Carly Fiorina, former Chair and C.E.O. of Hewlett Packard, described the Islamic heritage in these words: “It was driven more than anything by invention. Its architects designed buildings that defied gravity. Its mathematicians created the algebra and algorithms that would enable the building of computers and the creation of encryption. Its doctors examined the human body and found new cures for disease. Its astronomers looked into the heavens, named the stars, and paved the way for space travel and exploration.” Perhaps we can learn that it was the Muslim leadership that harnesses the full capabilities of a very diverse population that included Jewish, Christians and Islamic traditions.
Present-day academic curricula, especially in the West, devote little if any attention to the achievements of the Islamic World over a period of many centuries. It is more than time that younger generations throughout the world be made familiar with the essential linkages between classical medieval cultures, on the one hand, and modern civilizations, on the other. This interface will go a long way in facilitating a healthy climate of civil discourse among people of various faiths and cultures.