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To: Chuckmorse
Islam had its Renaissance before its Medieval period. There was a great flowering of Islamic civilization during our Medieval era. Like our civilization, it was an heir to the great achievements of Classical and ancient Near Eastern culture. Then, with the rise of the Turks, the coming of Mongols, and the long ascendency of the West, Islam was thrown back upon much sparcer resources.

In a similar fashion the fall of Rome and the Barbarian invasions disrupted the material basis of the Western world knocked much of the energy and drive out of it, and forced the West back to a minimalist idea of culture. One could make a similar argument about Judaism following the destructions of the Temple and dispersions. One can imagine that if our civilization collapsed or were eclipsed by a greater one, we might be forced back upon a few simple texts to make sense of the world -- it has happened to us in the past.

That "seeds of violence" you've found are present in Islam, but also in other religions, particularly monotheisms, and probably in any idea when it comes to be seen as the one, essential, complete truth, from which all deviations or diversions are dangerous and evil.

But for the seed to germinate and grow certain conditions must be present. These conditions are also present in many Muslim nations. These conditions shouldn't simplistically be taken to mean poverty or tyranny. Remove the poverty tomorrow and put a democratic republic in power, and the wound will still remain for generations until it is healed.

Curiously the philosophers and historians of Islam's great epoch recognized this. They understood that the men of the deserts and steppes had courage and vigor, but wouldn't appreciate the concepts and nuances of their thought. Wealth and comfort make civilizations decadent. Nomads reinvigorate societies, but the subtlety and and richness is lost. There was a fear that someday their own tradition would be taken back by the severe and harsh men from the desert.

54 posted on 11/04/2001 8:18:23 AM PST by x
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To: x
Wealth and comfort do NOT make people decadent. Everyone has free will. People make themselves decadent. Apparently Islam is the blame the other guy religion. I'm sick of hearing about the poor oppressed Muslims. So far I have not seen or heard anything from them (fanatic,Moderate, etc etc) that makes their religion anything but evil incarnate in the world.
92 posted on 11/06/2001 9:10:13 AM PST by marty60
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