Repaying the
West’s Debt to Islam
By Olga Pikovskaya
Business Week
Science today wouldn’t be as advanced without
so many discoveries from the Muslim world. It’s
time to reach across today’s hurtful barriers.
Unless you’re a history buff, it can be
hard to believe how pivotal early Islamic civilization
was in laying the foundations of modern science,
mathematics, technology, and the arts. Between
600 AD and 1400 AD, Europe was caught in a bleak
time, commonly termed the Dark Ages. During that
same period, however, Islamic societies were making
fundamental discoveries.
The contributions of early Islamic people are
far too numerous to list. A few innovations starting
with the letter “a” are: acetic acid,
alcohol, almanacs, aloe, and astrolabes. In addition,
these people were adept at improving the technologies
and inventions that Muslim traders brought back
from China.
In the sciences, Islamic scholars began converting
Greek speculations into a process for uncovering
verifiable facts. They made fundamental contributions
to medicine, astronomy, chemistry, physics, and
optics. In medicine, for example, Muslim scientists
developed a hollow needle for removing cataracts
from the eye by suction -- around 1,000 years
ago. And mathematics was a Muslim forte, as seen
in the creation of algebra and the Arabic number
system that we use today.
AT ODDS AGAIN. New musical instruments, such as
the violin and the guitar, which most people associate
with Western music, owe their origins to the peoples
of North Africa and Asia Minor. Islamic artistic
contributions ranged from architecture and calligraphy
to painting and poetry.
These ideas and discoveries spread outside the
Muslim world as a result, ironically, of the Crusades.
Although Europe lost militarily, the transfer
of goods and ideas led directly to the Renaissance.
All this is particularly surprising when juxtaposed
with the contemporary view of Muslim society as
being theocratic and backward.
Hundreds of years after the Crusades, the Western
and Muslim worlds are once again at odds. While
the West is racing ahead in industrialization
and human rights, the Muslim world seems less
eager for change. If Westernization threatens
to undermine their proud history, many Islamic
countries would rather forsake foreign amenities,
preserve their customs and culture, and continue
leading a religious life according to the Qur’an.
GROWING DISTRUST. Islamic resistance to change
may stem largely from the desires of political
and religious leaders to preserve their power.
But skepticism toward Western modernity is not
illogical. Some horrific events of the 20th century
were justified in terms of “scientific”
and “innovative” thinking. Both Hitler
and Stalin employed the tools of modern science
to advance programs that they viewed as highly
“rational.”
Coming on top of the political mayhem in the Middle
East wrought by the West and its imperialistic
policies from the late 19th century until after
World War I, it’s hardly surprising that
the Muslim world views the West with suspicion.
The creation and continuing support of Israel,
and now the war on terrorism, have only intensified
Muslim distrust.
Perhaps it’s time for the West to remember
its debts to the Muslim world and help Islamic
society to regain its past glory -- on their terms,
not ours.
SEE AND BE SEEN. As a beginning, we must establish
mutual trust. Given the condescending and stereotypical
viewpoints with which each has viewed the other,
one small step might be for the US State Dept.
or philanthropic organizations to arrange regular
visits by Muslim clerics to US universities and
public TV and radio shows. Many Americans know
so little about the Muslim religion that they
would be pleasantly surprised to learn it’s
more tolerant of other religions than some Protestant
denominations are, and more catholic in outlook
than Catholicism.
School teachers from Islamic countries could be
invited to join educational workshops organized
by such groups as the National Science Teachers
Assn. and the National Science Foundation. Simultaneous
translations would be available even to small
contingents.
Leaders from Muslim communities in the U..could
make sponsored goodwill tours of the Middle East.
Hopefully, they would convey the message that
the first amendment of our Constitution guarantees
people the right to worship freely as long as
it doesn’t harm others. Hearing this from
fellow Muslims who live in the US might help persuade
skeptics that, contrary to past lessons of history,
Western culture does not imply meddling in the
religious preferences of other peoples.
WORDS TO LIVE BY. Such actions could be a start,
but changing mindsets on both sides will be a
long-term effort. Whatever the duration, we must
be patient and remember that we’re honoring
a debt, expecting nothing in return. We must accept
that the Muslin leaders who emerge may not agree
with us on all things.
It will be a Herculean task, but not an impossible
one. Through it all, people-to-people contacts
will be vital. The wisdom for that permeates Western
culture -- even popular music. In the words of
a Sting song: “You can’t control an
independent heart... If you love someone, set
them free.”
(Pikovskaya was a finalist in the 2005 Intel Science
Talent Search)
Courtesy Business Week, MARCH 29, 2005
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2005/tc20050329_3316.htm)
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