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“Us” and “Them” (Part I/5)
In his book, The History of the
Mohammaden Empire in Spain, printed in 1816, James Cavanah Murphy bestows on the
Arabs the honor of inventing rhyme, “the old mode of teaching music by
sol-fa-ing,” and certain musical instruments [the lute]. He then goes on to say
that Europe “is indebted” to them for their work in philosophy (Averroes or Ibn
Rushd, Al Farabi, Al Ghazali, Ibn Tufail and Al Kindi), medicine (Avicenna, Al
Razi), pharmacy (Ibn Zahr), chemistry (Al Kindi and Al Razi), trigonometry
(Mohammad bin Moussa, Al Kindi), physics (Ibn al Haitham), arithmetic and
algebra. Arabic numerals, the words alcohol and alkali (he could have added
aspirin as well), and the inventions of paper, gun powder and the mariner’s
compass are also attributed to Arabs*.
In his words, “modern Europe is indebted to them [the Arabs] for most of those
useful inventions, which for so many centuries she has quietly and
uninterruptedly enjoyed. Nor can the reflecting mind contemplate, without
surprise, the very low rank which that nation at present holds in the republic
of letters. Their climate has undergone no change, their customs, religion,
governments, manners and sentiments, generally, have continued unalterably the
same; what then, can be the cause of the existing ignorance which prevails among
the Sarrassins?”
R. Ramsay Wright, who translated the book of Al Biruni (better known as Al
Khwarizmi), The Tafhim (Kitab al Tafhim li Awa’il Sina’at al Tanjim) written in
1029 A.D., states that “its author is one of the most outstanding figures of the
11th century, which has been described as the blossoming of Mohammadan culture
and as the climax of medieval thought.” He continues by saying that “that the
translation of a book which served as a primer of science for two or three
hundred years after it was published requires no apology.”
The region and Islam need not apologize either for their current state of
affairs, but they must definitely search for the causes, mainly the intrinsic
ones, and find the cure. Europe and the United States, who have given us almost
all of what we have today in science, philosophy, technology, medicine, art and
astronomy, from Newton, Einstein, Hawking, Leonardo da Vinci, Mozart, The
Beatles and Bill Gates to the Mars Rover Mission, can proudly display their
continuous contribution to humanity as well.
However, when it comes to international affairs, they seem always to take a path
of folly. How have such great cultures designed such terrible “solutions” for
our area? A few examples of questionable positions include the Sykes-Picot
Agreement, the Balfour Declaration, the support of tyrannical regimes and
militant Islamic movements, the stance on weapons of mass destruction, the
vetoes of UN resolutions condemning Israel and other blatant double standards in
policy.
In his book, Moors in Spain, printed in 1811, Thomas Bourke wrote that “the
great have still some kindness in reserve, they help to bury those they helped
to starve.” This applies (with various degrees) to the past and present policies
of both Europe and the U.S. in our region.
It is time for an open, deep and honest soul-searching journey by all of us.
Perhaps, then, we will discover that “east” is not east and “west “ is not west,
but that we are all one.
* Some
historians might disagree with the association of specific names with certain
disciplines.
See the next issue of Ii
Monthly for Part II of this editorial series
Jawad Adra
Managing Partner
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Current Statistics
Brazilian Embassy
• 7,864 m2 is the total area of five real estate plots in Nakkash to be
given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Brazilian Embassy to build its
premises in Lebanon.
Women’s National Committee
• LL 600 million ($398,000) was the additional amount transferred from the
Reserve Budget in 2003 to the Women’s National Committee, to cover its costs.
Cultural clubs
• LL 75 million ($49,700) was allotted by the Ministry of Culture in 2003 for
cultural clubs, committees and councils in Lebanon.
Debt service
• LL 13.3 billion ($8.8 million) was the average daily interest paid on the
public debt in 2003. The total debt service for that year reached LL 4,875
billion ($3.2 billion), though the 2003 budget had estimated it at LL 4,000
billion ($2.65 billion).
Tele Liban
• LL 4 billion ($2.6 million) was allocated to Tele
Liban by the 2004 draft budget, compared with LL 2,532.8 million ($1.68 million)
when the station was re-opened.
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