Islam Questions and Answers
QUESTION NUMBER ONE: Discuss influences that Persian, Greek, Indian and Chinese cultures had on the development of Islamic arts and sciences.It would seem pertinent at the beginning of this paper to put Islam into an historical context, and place it in properly among the greatest cities of the world in terms of its art, science, literature and advanced culture. In fact, what most Westerners know today as Baghdad - the capitol city of the nation that Saddam Hussein ruled and that American fighter jets attacked in their campaign to overthrow Hussein; the city that is presently the scene of bloody daily suicide bombings by Islamic terrorists ("insurgents") opposed to the U.S. occupation - was a very different city when it was in its prime in around 800 CE. Indeed, Islam was a very different culture during that time period. "The city...formed two vast semi-circles on the right and left banks of the Tigris, twelve miles in diameter," according to William Stearns Davis' book (Davis 365). On both sides of the river for miles one could see "palaces, kiosks, gardens and parks of the grandees and nobles, marble steps led down to the water's edge," and the river was the scene of "thousands of gondolas," Davis described.
"There were other European colonies in Muslim nations; at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel (between Madagascar and the African mainland) lies Comoros, an overwhelmingly Muslim nation, which France took possession of in 1843. "The British responded mercilessly and without restraint," Aslan writes (224-225). In British-controlled Egypt, meanwhile, there was also "widespread anti-colonialist sentiment and sporadic uprisings," which were used by the English to justify "tightening their control" (Aslan 229). On page 287, Esposito writes that between 1800 and 1940 "the Muslim policies of the Malayan peninsula and of Sumatra and Java became subordinated to the British and Dutch, respectively. Also, the "Indonesian Islamic Revolution Board" - another militant group - is accused of seeking support from Iran "to eliminate Suharto's regime. The official history of China's Yuan Dynasty honors Ala`eddin "for having constructed the Counterweight Trebuchet for Kubilia"; and "we now know that in fact Islam learned paper making from China as a result of Ala`eddin's contact. " There were those, Aslan asserts, who believed that pushing Christianity on Muslims would ultimately lead to "popular resentment and perhaps to open rebellion," and that turned out to be true. The very first "official society of science and learning to appear in the world," Sonn writes, is due to the "Brethren of Sincerity," brought to Islam by the Isma`ilis, who learned science in Greece and Asia. We must be content with indicating that the ideas which the Isma`ilis missionaries spread among the Muslim. " Despite this ugly series of events, "a large number of Muslim intellectuals remained convinced," Aslan continues, "that the adoption of European values," like the rule of law and the pursuit of science, would help Muslims overcome their disintegrating civilization (Aslan 225). Every household in Baghdad had a plentiful supply of water that was provided by "numerous aqueducts which intersected the town. groups were such as to turn their lives around and produce changes whose effects still remain today" (Sonn 134-135).
Common topics in this essay:
Stearns Davis',
Muslim Hindu,
Empire Cordoba,
WWII Dutch,
Future Islam,
Middle East,
Harran Muslim,
Indonesia Eaton,
Age Islam,
British-controlled Egypt,
aslan writes,
golden age,
golden age islam,
british army,
indian revolt,
advanced culture,
muslim nation,
age islam,
translated arabic,
wikipedia 2006,
translation arabic,
|
Acceptance Essays
