Islam's golden age comes to life (Major hurl alert)

SacBee ^ | December 23, 2006 | Stephen Magagnini

[radar101]

Poets and philosophers, merchants and mathematicians, artisans and astronomers re-enacted the Golden Age of Islam at the Al-Arqam Islamic School in south Sacramento on Friday.

The artistry, story-telling and role-playing was a creation of 233 students from kindergarten through ninth grade who brought to life the sights, tastes and smells of an Islamic empire that spanned three continents from the eighth to the 13th centuries.

From incense to Turkish coffee, dates to oranges, minarets to miniature mosques and castles -- you could find it all at The Islamic Civilization Exhibit and Festival in the school's multipurpose room.

Pageantry was accompanied by plenty of food for thought.

In the midst of this "village" teeming with children dressed in Saudi, Afghan, Palestinian, Pakistani, Egyptian and Moroccan garments, a large gold and blue tent set the stage for a debate among nine famous Muslim scholars.

Ibn Battuta (12-year-old Abdurrahman Husnein)was considered the greatest tourist of the 14th century. He followed the Prophet Muhammad's advice to "seek knowledge even if it takes you to China."

Ibn Sina (10-year old Belal Ahmed) insisted that his Canon of Medicine was a more important contribution because "My work saves lives!" Sina lived from 980 to 1037.

The father of algebra, Muhammad Ibn Musa Al-Khawarizmi (11-year-old Javed Maroon) responded, "I created the decimal system and the use of zero ... I educate the lives you save." The mathematician lived from 770 to 840.

Imam Malik (13-year-old Ossama Kamel), who compiled thousands of sayings from the Prophet Muhammad, warned the others against arrogance. "No one who has an atom's weight of pride in his heart will enter the garden," he quoted the prophet as saying.

[sageb1]

Sacbee comment section is available. :)

http://www.sacbee.com/dyn/comments/standard/comments_separate.html?uri=http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/97269.html&o=d&ud=u&avatar=n&tie_to=97269

[VOA]

I don't know if a definitive cut-off date can be found, but I'd guess Islam
hasn't brought a gift to the greater world since about 1500.

Their failure to arrive at what we now acknowledge as "science" is documented
in "The Victory of Reason" by Rodney Stark.

Their only real "contribution" to the rest of the world was simply not
burning every Greek textbook that they stole during their theft of a
large chunk of the world.

Hence, their gift to the world was not really science.
It was just theivery that accidentally saved some classic texts.

But the MSM will never mention what the Islamics DESTROYED during their
conquests. That sort of thing is only mentioned if the horde is composed
of nominal Christians.

[Tolsti]

If you knew the history a little better, you wouldn't quite see it that way. The church knew Galileo was right, but Galileo really pushed his luck. That's why he got in trouble.

I'm not a church apologist and obviously he got screwed, but they wanted him to go by their schedule and he told them to get lost.

[Valin]

He "created" them from inputs of travellers into Greece and India.

Yes?

[b4its2late]

tastes and smells of an Islamic empire that spanned three continents from the eighth to the 13th centuries.

[Tolsti]

"He "created" them from inputs of travellers into Greece and India.

Yes?"

I created most of the post by copying it, yes?

[Tolsti]

"He "created" them from inputs of travellers into Greece and India.

Yes?"

I created most of the post by copying it, yes?

[L98Fiero]

That was uncalled for.

The fact still remains that it came from Christians. I never said Christians or Jews were ever all-knowing or all seeing or always correct. I sure as hell didn't laud the Catholic Church. The fact does remain, however, that they did build the modern world that we know. Point out the stumbling blocks that were hit along the way all you want, it makes no difference. It was by far Christians and Jews who gave us the modern world we live in today.

What the purpose of your post was, other than an attempt to insult me, I have no idea.

[CarrotAndStick]

As in, no Arab/Muslim invented the decimal system or the concept of zero and the place-value system. Most of the ideas were imports from India, and Greece, at the time.

[do the dhue]

What papers in any Muslim country ran a story about Christmas right before Ramadan?

Yea, and to find something good to write about, the treasonous media had to go back 1,000 years.

[Prodigal Son]

That was uncalled for.

You think? I wonder what Galileo thought...

[Valin]

You could say that about just about any invention/idea you care to mention. Everyone builds on what came before.
That was mu only point.

[Prodigal Son]

The church knew Galileo was right, but Galileo really pushed his luck.

LOL. So, if he was right, why did he get in trouble?

I got no use for an institution that would punish a man for being right.

[Tolsti]

Of course he was screwed over. But he had a deal with the uppers in the church. He broke the deal.

The deal was BS, but the church felt their power would be in danger if they weren't the ones to slowly change the public's viewpoint instead of a sudden release like Galileo wanted.

[CarrotAndStick]

It's one thing to build a car out of the borrowed idea of the wheel. And quite another to claim the wheel as one's own invention, when it was an idea borrowed from another.

[tet68]

"No one who has an atom's weight of pride in his heart will enter the garden," he quoted the prophet as saying.

It never dawns on these idiots that the word ATOM didn't exist during the time of the pedophile.

[IronJack]

I think they're going to find that the "gold" of islam is the curious kind that tarnishes.

[denydenydeny]

Will any of them ask the question, why have there been absolutely no Islamic scientific advances in the last 800 years?

[bboop]

"Golden Age" 1300s?? Talk about resting on (past) laurels.

[Valin]

UNDP: Arab Human Development Report 2002-2004 eMail to a friend

http://www.palestineremembered.com/Acre/Articles/Story1346.html

The United Nation Development Program and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development collaborated together to produce an incredible analysis and research about the situation of the Arabs world, and how to improve it. The research has been conducted by Arab researchers and social scientists in an unbiased way, which has been produced in three volumes between 2002 and 2004. In our humble opinion, every one of these publications is a MUST read, not only by every Arab, but also by every person concerned with the the Middle East.

The first two publications have been published and available below in Arabic and English languages, however, the third report should have been released in August, 2004, but it has been held up from distribution, by the Bush Administration, since a portion of it is critical of US and Israeli polices in the Middle East.

Note PDF Files
Click on link

_________________________________________

Arab Human Development Report Launch
12/6/06

http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/december-2006/ahdr-launch-20061206.en;jsessionid=axbWzt8vXD9

Women in the Arab world are not realizing their full potential and are still denied equality of opportunity, says the Arab Human Development Report 2005: Toward the rise of women in the Arab world, arguing that this represents not just a problem for women, but a barrier to progress and prosperity in Arab societies as a whole.

The Report (selected parts of which are available online at http://rbas.undp.org/ahdr2005.shtml) commends some Arab states for “significant, progressive changes” in addressing the fundamental gender biases prevalent in the region. Yet the authors cite a range of obstacles to equitable development, from cosmetic reforms with little real effect to violent conflict, foreign occupations and terrorism, which cast a shadow over the tantalizing hints of progress glimpsed in the Report’s pages.
(snip)