Muslims and the West, Encounter and Dialogue

In October 1997, amidst gloomy prophesies of an imminent clash between Islamic and Western civilizations, some forty scholars, thinkers, and opinion-makers from different parts of the world came together in a seminar in the idyllic surroundings of Islamabad, to thrash out the problems pertaining to the relations between the Muslims and the West. This seminar, held under the joint auspices of the Islamic Research Institute, International Islamic University, Islamabad and the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., focused itself on exploring the Western perceptions of Muslims and Muslim perceptions of the West. The subject was not only academically challenging, but also a necessary step toward building bridges of understanding and friendship across the two civilizations.

Muslims and the West: Encounter and Dialogue is a collection of twelve select papers of that seminar [edited by Zafar Ishaq Ansari and John L. Esposito]. These papers represent a serious attempt to understand the complex relationship of the Muslims and the West spanning over fourteen centuries. In these papers, twelve highly distinguished scholars from across the globe address the subject with depth of understanding and sharpness of perception, in a style strikingly candid yet sober and balanced.

Brief explanation printed on the cover of the book IIIrd reprint 2006.

[Following paragraphs from the cited book and other scholarly books are arranged in sequence to have a better understanding of the Muslims and the West]

1. When I teach these principles- this notion of progress- to my students in North America, they are immediately impressed. They find it fascinating that the Qur’an is not so much concerned with the direction of prayer as with the well-being of the weak and the suffering:

“It is not piety that you turn your faces to the East or the West but pious is the one who believes in God and the Last Day and the angels and the Book and the prophets, and spends money for love of Him, on relatives and orphans and the poor and travelers and those in need, and for captives; and who pays charity, and who fulfills promises when they are made, and who is patient in poverty and suffering and in time of war; it is these who are true in faith, who are pious”. (Surat al-Baqarah, 2:178)

They [the students] find these values utterly in keeping with their own. Indeed, many feel that perhaps the expression here is a bit more articulate, more direct, and very timely – P.230

Modernity, Islam, and the West , Tamara Sonn

2. At this point it seems hard to resist reproducing the sparkling gem of wisdom embodied in the following imaginary conversation between a Christian and a Muslim religious leader in an article published in the Economist in 1990. We do so in spite the fact that one of us (viz. John L. Esposito) concluded the ‘Introduction’ of his work, Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?, with the following quote:

It distresses me that so many people seem to think that the next period of history will be a fight between your part of the world and mine. It is true that we live elbow to elbow with each other … it is also true that our elbows have banged painfully together many times in the past. But almost two thousand years after the birth of your Jesus, and more than 1400 years after the birth of our Muhammad, let me start by asking whether it really has to happen all over again. P.18

“Islam and the West”, The Economist, London December 22, 1990, The Book Preface P.XVII

3. This Muslim tolerance had a solid basis in Islam, which recognized Christians and Jews as distinct religious communities with the right to practice their religions. The Qur’an proclaims clearly, “there should be no compulsion in religion”. In fact, for the first time in history, the state that the Prophet established in Madinah enshrined the principles of religious tolerance – in its written constitution. Consequently, religious tolerance- has been one of the hallmarks of Muslim civilization. P.8

[Islam ] stressed belief in the one God, but rejected such crucial Christian doctrines as the Incarnation [a living being embodying deity or spirit], the Trinity [the union of three persons (father, son, holy ghost) in one Godhead or the threefold personality of the divine being], the Crucifixion [ to put to death by nailing or binding a person to a cross] and the Redemption [ deliverance from sin ; salvation]. Yet it share many teachings with Christianity: it accepted all biblical prophets, emphasized moral responsibility and believed in the Last Day. P.9

In Muslim Spain itself there followed some four centuries of religious and ethnic coexistence among Christians, Muslims and Jews, among Arabs, Berbers and Europeans. This coexistence resulted in an unparalleled flowering of literature, music, science, trade, architecture and comparative religious studies. Dazzling remainders of some of the cultural achievements of what amounted to an amalgamated culture have survived in an original architecture that fused the best of Muslim and Byzantine styles: Cordoba’s Great Mosque, Seville’s Alcazar and Granada’s Alhamra. P.10

– Muslims and the West in History, Isma’il Ibrahim Nawwab.

4. Transmission of learning from the Islamic world [Muslim Spain], then a centre of a more advanced culture and richer civilization, to Europe is the most remarkable feature of this process. A host of Europeans scholars have attempted to identify the nature and extent of the influence of the Islamic world on Europe in fields as diverse as mathematics, astronomy, medicine, logic, metaphysics, technology, music and other arts and science. Through the acquisition of Islamic knowledge there came about C.H. Haskins call “the Renaissance of the Twelfth Century”. P.53/54

Another important factor was the popularity of the Arabian Nights, of which the first English translation was published in 1706. As to its reception in England, Mushin J. Ali aptly remarks: “Very few books have cast such a spell on the reading public as the Arabian Nights”. This contention [struggle in opposition] is firmly corroborated [made more certain] by numerous reprints, complete editions and ‘new translations’ and ‘careful revisions’ of the Arabian Nights during the century. Its popularity is evidenced also by its serialization over the years in London News, Churchman’s Last Shift, General Magazine, Lady’s Magazine, Monthly Extracts and Novelist’s Magazine. Addison’s response was equally warm in that he published several Oriental pieces in The Spectator. P.61

Apart from being a unique amalgam of the informative and the delightful, the Arabian Nights was much admired for its exoticism, its depiction of strange social manners, and its machinery of such enthralling figures as jinns, fairies, magicians and talismans. “These stories”, holds E.F. Bleiler “appealed…with a wide range of opportunities, delicacies of style, elaborices of construction, adventure, moralism, sensibility, fantasy, philosophy and irony”. Some of the legends permeating these stories had their parallels in the Celtic, Teutonic [natives of Germany] and Greek traditions – hence their appeal for a larger readership. Along with their exoticism and the charm of pure adventure, these stories are grounded in solid value systems and deal with such issues as the sinfulness of pride and greed and the vanity [worthlessness] of human wishes. Numerous Oriental tales, often pseudo-Oriental imitations and adaption, appeared in the wake of their popularity, of which a masterly analysis is made by Martha P. Conant. According to her, this phenomenon “might be called as episode in the development of English Romanticism. P.61/62

– Perceptions of Islam and Muslims in English Literature, Abdur Raheem Kidwai.

5. Kenneth Cracknell, in his excellent survey of early mission thought in relation to the other world religions, introduces the reader to Frederick Denison Maurice, whom he identifies as one of the greatest of the 19^th century Anglican theologians. Maurice was prophetic of the increasing tolerance and appreciation of Islam that was to characterize missionary interpretation later in the 20^th century. Clear in his stance that Christ universal has been present in all ages, Maurice even sees Muhammad as a witness for God. Islam, he contests, in its intense belief in the power of the one God, is a clear denial of the 19^th century claim that religions are the creation of a religious principle in man rather than a response to the reality of God. Maurice was one of the first mission theologians to admit that Islam might serve as a challenge to Christianity, going so far as to call the Muslim conquests part of God’s presence and activity, not “a testimony against the Gospel but for it; a testimony to one necessary, forgotten portion of it [namely God’s overlordship of the earth]” P.151/152

In a marked change from his earlier rhetoric, he [ i.e. The Missionary Samuel Zwemer who founded and edited for 36 years the journal The Moslem World (later The Muslim World)] began to stress the importance of recognizing that Islam has elements of strength, vitality and truth, that it is a rich and strong religion, and that the notion of God as omnipresent and omnipotent is greatly to be admired.

P 160/161

In a somewhat different vein, but also looking for ways in which to find reconciliation between Islam and Christianity, Edwin Calverly says that mutual declarations of monotheism should encourage sympathetic rather than unfriendly relations; this might for example be accomplished by mutual appreciation of Surah 112 in the Quran which it would be proper and right for Christians to recite along with Muslims. In this process each side would see how the other understands the content of that surah. E.F.F. Bishop agrees that while it is necessary to avoid both syncretism and “appeasement, “there is no reason why Christians should not seriously examine their own attitude toward Islam, at the same time letting Muslims know that we would appreciate the same from them. It is high time, for example, that Muslims stop assuming that the phrase “Son of God” carries any connotation [to have significance only by association with another word] of human generation. P.165

The tone of the meeting [Asmara, Eritrea in 1959] was conciliatory, acknowledging the responsibility of Christians for building and maintaining barriers of separation between the religions which have seriously handicapped the work of mission. Eight principles were identified as particular obstacles in Christian mission to Muslims, including Christian pride and complacency leading to disrespect of Muslims, emphasis on discontinuity between Christian and Islam (“Rather than ‘shouting down from the balcony’ at the Muslims,” said Kenneth Cragg, “we must go down into the dust of the street together and find God walking with us”), the inadequacy of Christian conviction and witness, Christian fear and defensiveness in the face of Muslim opposition, and an inadequate understanding of Islam on the part of most missionaries. Even Hendrik Kramer after this meeting testified to the necessity of a new Christian attitude toward Muslims. Noting the objective change in the relationships between the West and the Muslim world he says that “we are led to the conclusion that the past, age-long relationship of antagonism, unilateral closeness of mind, and communication by monologue [a prolonged talk by a single speaker], has turned in the possibility and the necessity of a new relationship of mutual interdependence (material and cultural) and of genuine human encounter and open dialogue… P.166/167

Mennonite missionary Mike Brislen, among a number of others, argues for the importance of developing a Muslim-culture church. In his vision the “Isa muezzin” ascends the minaret and gives a call to prayer following the Muslims adhan as closely as possible, with such alterations as “I bear witness that Isa is the Word of God who sends forth the Spirit proceeding from the command of my Lord…” P.171

Parshall [Presbyterian missionary Phil Parshall deeply influenced by his friendship with Muslims] advocates that missionaries dress as much like Muslim religious men as possible, live simply, remove shoes before worship (which takes place on the floor without chairs and involves, prostrations [ to lay as on the ground]), and even fast in Muslim style. P.172

Although they [The Missionaries] are not willing to compromise their conviction of the ultimacy of salvation through Jesus Christ, most appreciate the Islamic stress on God’s oneness (though not what they see as the rigidity of the law) and see in its mystical piety common ground with Christian practice. Many have come to believe that Muhammad was a genuine prophet, and a few are even willing to acknowledge that he is “our’ prophet as well as “theirs”. P.176

– Christian Missionary Views of Islam in the 19^th-20^th Centuries, Jane I.Smith.

6. One day a Brahmin [‘The All’; the whole of reality; the essence of existence; the foundation of everything that exists; Being itself; the power that holds the cosmos together and enables it to grow and develop. The supreme reality of Vedic religion] priest came across the Buddha sitting in contemplation [thinking meditation] under a tree and was astonished by his serenity, stillness and self-discipline. The impression of immense strength channeled creatively into an extraordinary peace, reminded him of a great tusker elephant. ‘Are you a god, sir? The priest asked. ‘Are you an angel… or a spirit?’ No, the Buddha replied. He explained that he had simply revealed a new potential in human nature. It was possible to live in this world of conflict and pain at peace and in harmony with one’s fellow creatures. There was no point in merely believing it; you would only discover its truth if you practiced his method, systematically cutting off egotism at the root. You would then live at the peak of your capacity, activate parts of the psyche that normally lies dormant, and become fully enlightened human beings. ‘Remember me,’ the Buddha told the curios priest,‘ as one who is awake.’ P.316

The Case for God, 1999 edition, Karen Armstrong

7. In [the year] 632 shortly before his death, [Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him] made what has been called the Farewell Pilgrimage in which he Islamized the old Arabian pagan rites of the hajj and made this pilgrimage, which was so dear to the Arabs, the fifth ‘pillar’ of his religion.

All Muslims have a duty to make the hajj at least once in a lifetime if their circumstances permit. Naturally the pilgrims remember Muhammad, but the rites have been interpreted to remind them of Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael rather than their prophet. These rites look bizarre to an outsider – as do any alien social or religious rituals- but they are able to unleash an intense religious experience and perfectly express the communal and personal aspects of Islamic spirituality. Today many of the [hundreds of] thousands of pilgrims who assemble at the appointed time in Mecca [also include non-Arabs] but they have been able to make the ancient Arabic ceremonies their own. As they converge on the Kabah, clad in the traditional pilgrim dress that obliterates [take away] all distinctions of race or class, they feel that they have been liberated from the egoistic preoccupations of their daily lives and been caught up into a community that has one focus and orientations. They cry in unison; ‘Here I am at your service, O al-Lah’ before they begin the circumambulations [walk, go] around the shrine…. The essential meaning of this rite is brought out well by the late Iranian philosopher Ali Shariati:

“As you circumambulate and move closer to the Kabah, you feel like a small stream merging with a big river. Carried by a wave you lose touch with the ground. Suddenly, you are floating, carried or by the flood. As you approach the centre, the pressure of the crowd squeezes you so hard that you are given a new life. You are now part of the People; you are now a Man, alive and eternal… The Kabah is the world’s sun whose face attracts you into its orbit. You have become part of this universal system. Circumambulating around Al-lah, you will soon forget yourself… You have been transformed into a particle that is gradually melting and disappearing. This is absolute love at its peak.”

Jews and Christians have also emphasized the spirituality of community. The hajj offers each individual Muslim the experience of a personal integration in the context of the ummah [Muslims], with God at its centre.

P.182/183

8. The Koran does not condemn other religious traditions as false or incomplete but shows each new prophet as confirming and continuing the insights of his predecessors. The Koran teaches that God has sent messengers to every people on the face of the earth: Islamic tradition says that there had been 124,000 such prophets, a symbolic number suggesting infinitude. Thus the Koran repeatedly points out that it is not bringing a message that is essentially new and that Muslims must emphasize their kinship [kin; a group of persons descended from the common ancestor, or constituting a family, class, tribe or race] with the older religions:

“Do not argue with the followers of earlier revelation otherwise than in the most kindly manner- unless it be such of them as are set on evil doing- and say: ‘We believe in that which has been bestowed upon us, as well as that which has been bestowed upon you: for our God and your God is one and the same, and it is unto Him that we [all] surrender ourselves.’ “.Koran 29:46, P.177/178

A History of God, Karen Armstrong

9. But the First World War revealed the self-destructive nihilism that, despite its colossal achievements, lurked at the heart of modern Western civilization. It has been described as the collective suicide of Europe: by slaughtering a generation of young men, the war so damaged European society at its core that arguably it has never fully recovered. The utter futility of trench warfare, fought as it was for no adequate social, ideological or humanitarian cause, defied the rationalism of the scientific age. The most advanced and civilized countries in Europe had crippled themselves and their opponents with their new military technology simply to serve the national ego. The war itself seemed a terrible parody of the mechanical ordeal [trial]: once the intricate mechanism of conscription, troop transportation and the manufacture of weapons had been switched on, it seemed to acquire its own momentum and proved almost impossible to stop. After the Armistice [temporarily suspension of hostilities by agreement of a truce], the economy of the West seemed in terminal decline, and the 1930s saw the great Depression and the rise of fascism and communism. By the end of the decade, the unthinkable had happened and the world was embroiled [involved] in a second global war. It was now difficult to feel sanguine [hopeful, confident] about the limitless progress of civilization. Modern secular ideologies were proving to be as lethal [deadly, fatal] as any religious bigotry [stubborn and complete intolerance of creed, belief or opinion that differs from one’s own]. They revealed the inherent destructiveness of all idolatry [excessive or blind devotion], once the finite reality of the nation had become an absolute value, it was compelled to overcome and destroy all rival claimants. P.252/253

Karen Armstrong, The Case for God

10. But yoga also had an ethical dimension. A beginner was not allowed to perform a single yogic exercise until he had completed an intensive moral programme. Top of the list of its requirements was ahinsa, ‘harmlessness’. A yogin must not swat a mosquito, make an irritable gesture or speak unkindly to others but should maintain constant affability to all, even the most annoying monk in the community. Until his guru was satisfied that this had become second nature, a yogin could not even sit in the yogic position. A great deal of the aggression, frustration, hostility and rage that mars our peace of mind is the result of thwarted egotism, but when the aspiring yogin became proficient in this selfless equanimity, the texts tell us that he would experience ‘indescribable joy’……So when a man venerates [commanding respect because of great age or impressive dignity] another deity, thinking, ‘He is one, and I am another,’ he does not understand, P31

The Case For God , Karen Armstrong

11. Basil Mathews, a missionary who travelled throughout the Muslim world in the second decade of this century, wrote a book in 1926, with a title almost identical with the title of Huntington’s famous “The Clash of Civilizations” article. In this book, which was entitled Young Islam on Trek: A Study in the Clash of Civilizations, Mathews tried to analyze civilization transformation in the Muslim world immediately after the collapse of the Ottoman Caliphate. There is a very interesting imaginative continuity between basil Mathews and Huntington’s approaches towards other civilizations. Mathew’s denomination of the modernization attempts in the Muslim world as process of conversion at the beginning of this century and Huntington’s “West-Rest” polarization at the end of the century, are reflections of the same civilization self-perception which represent an “egocentric illusion” as described by [ the British historian] Toynbee:

“But apart from illusion due to the worldwide success of the Western civilization in the material sphere, the misconception of ‘the unity of history’ – involving the assumption that there is only one river of civilization, our own, that all others are either tributary to it or else lost in the desert sands – may be traced to three roots: the egocentric illusion, the illusion of ‘the unchanging East’, and the illusion of progress as a movement that proceeds in a straight line.” P.103/104

Civilization Self-Perception and Pluralistic Coexistence: A Critical Examination of the Image of the ‘Other - Ahmet Davutoglu

12. Secularism is even more maligned in contemporary Islamic discourse than rationalism. It is generally taken to be an ideology, and construed in such a way as to make it utterly objectionable. In an article entitled “Toward a More Comprehensive and Explanatory Paradigm [model, mold] of Secularism,” for example, ‘Abd al-Wahhab al-Masiri rejects the standard description of secularism as the “separation of church and state,” although he acknowledges that this definition has “gained currency.” In fact, he claims, secularism, “if defined in a complex way,” is “a total world outlook, a weltanschauung, a comprehensive paradigm” that “operates on all levels of reality through a large number of implicit [included but not expressed] and explicit [precise, exact] mechanisms:” it is “the underlying and over-arching paradigm in modern Western civilization, and in all modernities for that matter.” Ultimately, he says in a lecture delivered at the University of South Florida, Spring 1995, secularism is the paradigm accounting for a staggering array of problems which he characterizes as “the crisis of modern civilization.” There are:

“…the price of progress, quantification, mechanization, standardization, instrumental value-free rationalization, alienation [to transfer or divert, isolate] , the crisis of meaning, the domination of utilitarian values, the spread of moral and epistemological [a branch of philosophy that investigates the origin, nature, methods and limits of human knowledge] relativism [in philosophy, theory holding that criteria of judgment are relative with individuals and their environments], anomie [a state of condition or society characterized by a breakdown or absence of social norms and values as in the case of uprooted people], disintegration of society, increasing contractualization, the problem of the Gemeinschaft versus the Gesellshaft, the tightening of the grip of the state over the individual through its various apparati, the hegemony of companies and bureaucracies, the decline of the family, the atrophy of identity, the minimal self, the decentering of man, the rise of anti-humanist philosophies, philosophical nihilism [total and absolute destructiveness especially towards the world at large and including one self] , internationalization or globalization, the subversion of individuality and privacy, the Americanization of the world, Cocacolization, commodification, reification [robbery, plunder, loot], fetishism [blind devotion], the cult of progress, the cult of change and fashion, consumerism, the culture of disposable-instantaneous gratification, the culture of narcissism [ego centrism], post-ideology, the modern world as an iron cage, disenchantment [disillusion] of the world, the rise of ethnicity, racism, pornography, deconstruction (and a number of verbs with the prefix ‘de’: dehumanize, debunk, demystify.)” P.222/223

Modernity, Islam and the West, Tamara Sonn

13. Once the West recognizes that Muslims are not anti-rationalist or theocratic, and once Muslims accept that the West is not anti-religious or atheistic, I believe we can engage in a very productive dialogue on both the values and pitfalls of technological development. P. 231,

Modernity, Islam and the West, Tamara Sonn

14. Few have given themselves with such serious intent to this task [of trying to reconcile Christian convictions with a deep and genuine respect for the religion of Islam] as has Anglican [ of pertaining to the church of England] Bishop Kenneth Cragg, with whom it may be appropriate to conclude. Cragg, who has written prodigiously [enormously, extraordinary in quantiy] for nearly half a century about the theological relationship of Christianity and Islam, consistently tries to help Christians to grasp the greatness of Muhammad as a religious leader, and to understand and appreciate the depth of spirituality to be found among Muslims. He puts forth a monumental effort to see the commonalities between the two faiths, although he does not hesitate to voice his judgments about elements of Islam when he feels it is appropriate. Never willing to compromise his own persuasion of the saving power of Christ, because of which he has been a leading light of the Protestant missionary movement for many decades, he nonetheless continues to strive to find ways of Christian-Muslim rapprochement. “It is not that right relationships are asking Muslims , or others to capitulate has resulted from Christians generally assuming that the ‘salvation’ question is the right, or only, one to ask… The invitation… only to think realistically about themselves and their world, and to open to perhaps ‘unthinkable’ perspectives about God”. P.176-/177

– Christian Missionary Views of Islam in the 19^th-20^th Centuries, Jane I.Smith.

God does not regret creating Arabs -----Reply to Ovadia Yosef, the Israeli spiritual leader, Part 2

10/10/10

18. And supposing the tide of Islam had not been stemmed? Nothing so delayed the advance of science in the West as the clumsiness of the Roman numerals. Had the Arabic numerals, which had reached Baghdad from India towards the end of the eighth century, be soon afterwards introduced into and adopted by western Europe as a whole, much of that scientific progress which we associate with the Renaissance in Italy might have been achieved several centuries earlier.

Wilfrid Blunt, quoted in the The Times (London), April 2, 1976

19. Arabic numerals – the numbers, 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 they may have originated in India, but were introduced to the western world from Arabia……. These numbers became known to western intellectuals in the ninth century through the writings of the Arab mathematician, Al –Khwarizmi, whose explanations of numbers in Arabic reached Europe through Latin translations.

Encyclopedia Britannica (1984), Vol. I. p. 469

20. About 830, Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, a translator of mathematical and astronomical books from the Sanskrit, published a book which was translated into Latin in the twelfth century, under the title Algorimi de numero Indrum. It was from this that the west first learnt of what we call ‘Arabic' numerals, [which may also to be called ‘Indian].’ The same author wrote a book on algebra which was used in the West as a text-book until the sixteenth century-

Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Society (London, 19840. P. 416

21. At the same time as these advances in medicine were being made, the Muslims produced some of the most outstanding Mathematicians. Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, born in 780 A.D., was the founder of modern Algebra. He developed sine, cosine and trigonometrical tables, which were later translated to the West. His book on algebra Hisab al-Jabr waal-Muqabalah (The Calculation of Integration and Equation) was used until the 16th century as the principal textbook of European universities. In it he writes that given an equation, collecting the unknowns in one side of the equation is called al-Jabr and collecting the knowns in the other side of the equation is called al- Mukabalah. He also described six basic types of equations: nx=m , x^2=nx , x^2=m , m+x^2 =nx, m+nx +x^2 and x^2=m+nx. He also solved the particular equation x^2+21=10x using geometrical arguments.

Al-Khawarizmi also helped introduce Arabic numerals, the decimal position system, and the concept of zero. Algebra and Algorithm are in fact [derivative] of his work and name. Interestingly, this first book on algebra included many examples from the Islamic inheritance laws and how they could be solved using algebra. Under [The King] al-Mamun the caliph of the time, he with some others were the first to map the globe.

22. Islamic art took from the civilizations surrounding it and also impacted them. The Chinese were influenced in their vases and carpets. Medieval Europe were influenced in their arts and showed it from their adoption of arches to their illuminations of Latin and Hebrew manuscripts. Of course the epitome of Islamic art can be seen in the greatest Islamic masterpieces such as the grand mosques of Cordova in Spain, the Taj Mahal in India, and the Blue mosque in Turkey. The works of these Muslim artists have become prototypes and models on which other artists and craftsmen patterned their own works, or from which they derived the inspiration for related work-

Huma Ahmed, Muslim Contributions to Science, Philosophy and the Arts

23. The Spanish Arabs developed agriculture to such an extent that it became a regular science. They studied trees and carried out research on the properties of soil. Vast expanses of land which had hitherto been lying infertile were then converted into orchards and lush green fields. It was a virtual green revolution.

24. [The Spanish Arabs] dug canals, cultivated grapes and introduced among, other plants and fruits, rice, apricots, peaches, pomegranates, oranges, sugarcane, cotton and saffron. The south-eastern plains of the peninsula, especially favored by climate and soil, developed important centres of rural and urban activity. Here wheat and other grains as well as olives and sundry fruits were raised by a peasantry who worked the soil on shares with the owners.

The agricultural development was one of the glories of Moslem Spain and one of the Arab’s lasting gifts to the land, for Spanish gardens have preserved to this day a “Moorish” imprint. One of the best-known gardens in the Generallife (from Al-Janat al-arif, the inspector’s paradise), a Nasrid monument of the late thirteenth century whose villa was one of the outlying buildings of the Alhamra. This garden, proverbial for its extensive shade, falling waters and soft breeze, was terraced in the form of an amphitheatre and irrigated by streams which, after forming numerous cascades, lost themselves among the flowers, shrubs and trees represented today by few gigantic cypresses [the evergreen coniferous] trees and myrtles [shrubs having evergreen leaves, fragrant white flowers and aromatic berries] –

Philip K.Hitti, History of the Arabs (London , 1970), p. 528

25. One of the best features of the Arab economy was agriculture, particularly the skillful use of irrigation, which they learnt from living where water is scarce. To this day Spanish agriculture profits by Arab irrigation works –

Bertrand Russell, A History of Western Philosophy, P. 416

26. [Mr. Russell] explanation is [not correct] The true, underlying cause of this feat is the monotheistic revolution which had overhauled the minds of Arabs. Prior to this, people had seen river, springs, and the sea in the form of gods. They held them to be objects of reverence rather than of conquest. The Arabs with their changed mind saw these phenomena of nature in the form of God’s creations. [The Arabs considered the work of improvement of irrigation and agriculture as big help for humanity]. It was this mental revolution which enabled the Arabs to perform their historic feats in the world of irrigation and agriculture.

27. In known human history, Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) is the only historian to have changed the pattern of historiography…. The truth is that the science known today as sociology is the gift of Ibn Khaldun. He himself claimed that he was the founder of sociology, and there is no reason to dispute his claim.

28. Khaldun’s greatness was acknowledged in similar vein by Robert Flint: “As a theorist on history he had no equal in any age or country until Vico appeared, more than three hundred years later; Plato, Aristotle and Augustine were not his peers –

Encyclopedia Britannica (1984). Vol. 16. P. 367.

29. It was indeed Ibn Khaldun who gave to Europe the modern science of history. And it was Islam which bestowed this gift upon him. The Islamic revolution produced Ibn Khaldun and Ibn Khaldun produced the modern science of history.

30. In Book I of the Muqaddamah, Ibn Khaldun sketches a general sociology, in Books II and III, sociology of politics; in Book IV a sociology of urban life; in Book V, a sociology of economics; and in Book VI, a sociology of knowledge. The work is studded with brilliant observations on historiography, economics, politics, and education. It is held together by his central concept of asabiyah, or social cohesion. Thus he laid the foundation of a science of history which is, in a vaster sense, based on the economics, politics, education, religion, ethics, and culture of the whole nation –

Philip K. Hitti, History of the Arabs (London, 1970), p. 568

31. The fame of Ibn-Khaludun rests in his Muqaddama (introduction to his book on history). In it he presented for the first time a theory of historical development which takes due cognizance of the physical facts of climate and geography as well as of the moral and spiritual forces at work. As one who endeavored to formulate laws of national progress and decay, Ibn Khaldun may be considered the discoverer- as he himself- claimed – of the true scope and nature of history, or at least the real founder of the science of sociology. No Arab writer, indeed no European, had ever taken a view of history at once so comprehensive and philosophic. By the consensus of critical opinion Ibn-Khaldun was the greatest historical philosopher Islam produced, and one of the greatest of all time

Philip K. Hitti, History of the Arabs (London, 1970)

32. [British Poet] Wordsworth acknowledges the great Arab intellectual tradition and its contribution to world knowledge. The Arab is made to appear with a stone and shell, standing respectively for the books of science and poetry; so doing, Wordsworth acknowledges the Arab preservation and transmission of knowledge which helped retrieve Greek ideas. Far from the conventional “Noble Savage”, Wordsworth’s Arab stands out as a culture-hero. More importantly, the Arab in The Prelude has answers to the dreamer’s questions, signifying the opening of doors for dialogue and communication between the West and the Islamic world. Wordsworth is perhaps the first writer to grant this equal status to an Arab, who is no more conventionally cast in the role of a warrior or an enemy. –

Abdur Raheem Kidwai, Perceptions of Islam and Muslims in English Literature: A Historical Survey

Next article will be titled "Muslims and the West; Encounter and Dialogue

God does not regret creating Arabs

9th October 2010

‘May you continue to lead your countrymen in majesty, courage and strength, for a lifetime and in peace.’ – Ovadia Yosef, an Israeli spiritual leader, wishing ailing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak well in a surprising display of goodwill towards an Arab head of state. Yosef, known for acerbic [bitter] comments, has said that ‘God regrets creating Arabs”

Time Magazine dated “July 26 2010” Verbatim

“We wish for you best health and a lot of prosperity and happiness”

This is reply to Ovadia Yosef for saying best wishes for President Hosni Mubarak.

However following extracts from scholarly books are arranged in a sequence so that a large number of persons like Yosef Ovadia have a better perception about the Arabs and so that they will be a little more confident about the future.

If we do discover a complete [unified] theory [of the universe], it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it should be the ultimate triumph of human reason- for then we should know the mind of God.

Stephen Hawking (1942-). A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes,11, 1988

The Government never interfered with the worship of the tolerated subjects; in fact it looked with favour upon the frequently noisy celebration of Christian feasts…. About the year 200/815 the Caliph [King] Mamun wanted to give the protected subjects complete freedom regarding their faith and the management of their ecclesiastical affairs. Every community of whatever persuasion – even If it consisted of only ten souls- was to be permitted to choose its own spiritual chief and such a one was to receive the Caliph’s recognition.

The centres of Islamic civilization, Baghdad in the 9th and 10th centuries, Cairo and Granada in the 12th and 13th centuries, and Istanbul and Delhi in the 16th century were like Alexandria in the sense of accommodating different civilizational self-perceptions, entities and institutions. Because of the inclusiveness of Islamic civilization, it was called “Islamic universal state” by A.Toynbee and “medieval religious democracy” by S. Goitein. The concept of Ahl al Kitab [Nations having divine book(s) ], which was applied to Christians and Jews in the beginning were subsequently extended to Zoroastrian Iranians, and Hindu Indians, and served as a legal basis for civilizational coexistence.

Ahmet Davutoglu, “Civilizational Self-Perception and Pluralistic Coexistence: A Critical Examination of the Image of the ‘Other’”

Islamic thought in the Iberian Peninsula went through a unique development. The presence of three Abrahamic religions in close vicinity, contacts with the Islamic East and the Christian West, and a multi-racial, multi-cultural environment played key roles in these developments.

Al-Andalus [Arabic/Muslim Spain] produced a unique synthesis of Islamic thought in a multi-racial, multi-cultural setting. This synthesis occurred through a complex process involving travels, oral transmission, translation, re-interpretation, assimilation and transformation. Andalusian society, as it emerged, had a strong presence of Christians and Jews, some of whom were associated with the courts, rulers and other influential segments of the society.

Muzaffar Iqbal, “Islam and the West in the Emerging World Order”

For almost three centuries after Christ, the Jews and the Christians remained hostile to one another only because of difference in their religion beliefs. First the Jews persecuted [A campaign to exterminate or drive away or subjugate a people because of their religion, ethical or moral beliefs or practices] the Christians. When in the fourth century Christianity became the religion of the empire, Christian officials persecuted the Jews.

Christianity marked a progress in the history of religion: that is to say, in regard to the return of the repressed. From now on, the Jewish religion was, so to speak, a fossil [to change as if into mere lifeless remains or traces of the past].

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), “Moses and Monotheism”, 3.1.4, 1939, tr. Katherine Jones, 1955

Jewry [Judaism], in the form in which it collided with Western Christendom, was certainly an exceptional social phenomenon, but it was also certainly not unique. Jewry was exceptional in being fossilized relic [an object having interest by reason of its age or its association with the past] of a civilization that was extinct in every other shape.

Arnold J. Toynbee (1889-1975). "A Study of History", 8.274, 1954

Contributions of Arabs for advancement of Science Technology and Civilization

1. “No people in the Middle Ages contributed to human progress so much as did the Arabians and the Arabic-speaking peoples”

Philip Hitti, History of the Arabs

2. “It is the Arabs who should be regarded as the real founders of Physics”

Henri Pirenne, History of Western Europe (1970)

3. “The debt of our science to that of the Arabs does not consist in startling discoveries of revolutionary theories. Science owes a great deal more to Arab culture. It owes its existence.”

“It is highly probable that but for the Arabs, modern industrial civilization would never have arisen at all”

Briffault, Making of Humanity.

4. “In 830 Al-Mamun established in Baghdad his famous Bayt al Hikmah [House of Wisdom], a combination library, academy and translation bureau, and an astronomical observatory. The work of translation continued with such speed and on such a vast scale that, within eighty years after the establishment of Baghdad, most of the books in Greek had already been rendered into Arabic.

During the Abbasid era, paper was being manufactured on a large scale, so there was no dearth of paper for writing books. There were more than 400,000 books in the library of Cordova (Spain) in the tenth century, whereas in Europe at that time, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the library of Canterbury was at the top of the list of Christian libraries with 1800 books in the 13th century.”

5. There is a tendency to belittle the work of the Arabs and to regard them as no more than transmitters of Greek Ideas. Arabs were much more than transmitters and that Arab science and philosophy contributed greatly to developments in Europe.

Montgomery Watt, “The Majesty that Was Islam”.

6. “Science, ever since the time of the Arabs, has had two functions: (I) to enable us to know things and (2) to enable us to do things. The Greeks, with the exception of Archimedes, were only interested in the first of these… interest in the practical uses of science came first through superstition and magic”

“To modern educated people, it seems obvious that matters of fact are to be ascertained by observation, not by consulting ancient authorities. But this is an entirely modern conception, which hardly existed before the seventh century. Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by examining his wives mouths”

Bertrand Russell, “The Impact of Science on Society”

7. An environment truly conductive to free enquiry emerged only after the monotheistic revolution of Islam. The whole atmosphere was instantly changed by it, paving the way for the work of investigation to go on unhampered. This scientific way of thinking had its beginnings in Mecca. Then it spread to Medina and Damascus, from where it went on to make Baghdad a great centre of innovative thought. From Baghdad, it found its way to Spain, Sicily and Italy, finally spreading all over Europe. It went on spreading, ultimately changing the universal mind.

8. In the history of Europe the period from the sixth to the tenth century A.D. is known as the Dark Ages. This is a period when Europe was far from being civilized. “For Europe it was a period of intellectual darkness and barbarity”….. The term ‘Dark Ages' was applicable, however only to Europe; when Europe was enveloped in the murk of the Dark Ages, the light of civilization shone brightly through-out the world of Islam. As Bertrand Russell puts it in his History of Western Philosophy, “From India to Spain, the brilliant civilization of Islam flourished.”

9. The Encyclopedia Britannica says: “Most of the classical literature that spurred the European Renaissance was obtained from translations of Arabic manuscripts in Muslim libraries”… In modern times, a large number of scholars, for instance, Gustav Liban, Robert Briffault, J.M. Robert, Montgomery Watt, and so on, have clearly acknowledged that it was the investigations and discoveries of the Arabs that paved the way for modern science in Europe.

10. “Medicine was probably the first Greek science to attract the Arabs because of its obvious practical importance. Then they developed it to the extent of establishing medical colleges and hospitals, which did not exist in Greece. Not merely was it taught in the colleges of Iraq, but the teaching was accompanied by a flourishing medical service. The first hospital in Baghdad was founded about the year 800 on the initiative of the Caliph Harun al Rashid, and records have been preserved of the founding of four other hospitals there in the first quarter of the tenth century. A thirteenth century hospital in Cairo is to have had accommodation for 8,000 persons. It had separate wards for male and female patients, as well as for different categories of ailments. The staff included physicians and surgeons, pharmacists, attendants of both sexes and administrative officers and, besides store-rooms and a chapel, there were facilities for lecturing and a library.”

Montgomery Watt, "Majesty that was Islam".

11. The Arabs thus made extraordinary advances in medicine through their research. The first important physician was Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariyya ar-Razi (d. 923), known in Europe as Rhazes. He wrote voluminously on many scientific and philosophic subjects, and over fifty of his works are extant [still existing]. His greatest work, Al-Havi, was translated into Latin as the Continens (the comprehensive book). It was the first encyclopedia of all medical science up to that time, and had to be completed by his disciples after his death. For each disease he gave the views of Greek, Syrian, Indian, Persian and Arabic authors, and then added notes on his clinical observations and expressed a final opinion.

12. Abdullah ibn Baytar (d. 1248) was the best known botanist and pharmacist of Spain, in fact, of the Muslim world. He travelled as a herbalist in Spain and throughout North Africa, and later entered the service of the Ayyubid al-Malik al-Kamil in Cairo as chief herbalist. From Egypt he made extensive trips throughout Syria and Asia Minor. One of his two celebrated works, Al Mughni fi al Adwiyah al-Mufradah, is a collection of “simple remedies from the animal, vegetable and mineral worlds embodying Greek and Arabic data supplemented by the author’s own experiments and researches.” It stands out as the foremost medieval treatise of its kinds. Some 1400 items are considered, of which 300, including about 200 plants, were novelties. The number of authors quoted is about one hundred and fifty, of whom twenty were Greek. Parts of the Latin version of Ibn al Baytar’s Simplica were printed as late as 1758 at Cremona.

13. After material medica, astronomy and mathematics, the Arabs made their greatest scientific contribution in chemistry. This brought chemistry out of the sphere of alchemy and gave it the status of a regular science based on observation. In the study of chemistry and other physical sciences the Arabs introduced the objective experiment, a decided improvement over the hazy speculations of the Greeks. It was through them that the world was first introduced to the scientific method.

14. After Al-Razi, Jabir bin Hayyan (721-815) is ranked greatest in the field of medieval chemical science. He more clearly recognized and stated the importance of experimentation than any other early alchemist, and made noteworthy advances in both the theory and practice of chemistry.

Jabir’s books were held as the final authority in chemistry in Europe uptill the fifteenth century. The initial ladder to the modern western chemistry of the eighteenth century was produced by Jabir. It is believed that Jabir wrote two thousand books on different sciences. So many scholarly books had never been written before the Muslim epoch by any single writer.

15. In ancient times Roman numerals were in general use in Europe, In this system, letters were used to express numbers, a method adopted by the Greeks and some other ancient nations, and later by the Romans, who used the seven letters – M.D.C.L.X.V.I- in various combinations. For instance the figure 88 would be written as LXXXVIII. This was a cumbersome method and made calculations extremely difficult. The Europeans, however, regarded the Roman numerals as holy-a gift from the gods. As a result, they failed to revise their thinking in this matter. Regarding non-holy numerals as holy was the reason they failed to make any progress in science and mathematics for several hundred years. It was the Islamic revolution which for the first time dispelled the aura of sanctity surrounding the numeral and ushered in the era of scientific progress in Europe.

16. Al Khwarizmi, writing in the first half of the ninth century, was the exponent of the use of numerals, including the zero, in preference to letters. These numerals he called Hindi, indicating their Indian origin. His work on the Hindu method of calculations was translated into Latin by Adelard of Bath in the twelfth century and as De numero indico has survived, whereas the Arabic original has been lost.

Philip K. Hitti, “History of the Arabs”

17. Leonardo of Pisa was the most distinguished mathematician of the Middle Ages. He helped introduce into mathematics the Hindu-Arabic numerals and the number sequence that bears his name.

Little is known about Leonardo’s life beyond the few facts given in his mathematical writing. It is probable that he was born in Pisa, Italy. During Leonardo’s boyhood, his father, Guglielmo, a Pisan merchant, was appointed consul, or chief magistrate, over the community of Pisan merchants in the North African port of Bugia (now Bejara, Algeria). Leonardo soon joined him. With a view to future usefulness the father sent his son to study calculation with an Arab master. Leonardo later described his enjoyment in learning the art of the nine Indian figures. Leonardo also travelled to Egypt, Syria, Greece, and Sicily, etc., where he studied different numerical systems and methods of calculation but never found one as satisfactory as the Arabic numerals.

When Leonardo’s Liber abaci first appeared, Arabic numerals were known to only a few European intellectuals though translation of the writings of the ninth century Arab mathematician and astronomer Al-Khwarizmi. Leonardo began his explanation of the notation by observing: “The nine Arabic figures are; 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. With these nine figures and with the sign 0… any number may be written, as is demonstrated below.’ The first seven chapters dealt with the notation, explaining the principle of place value, by which the position of a figure determines whether it is a unit, ten, hundred and so forth, and demonstrating the use of the numerals in arithmetical operations. The techniques were then applied to such practical commercial problems as profit margin, barter, money changing, conversion of weights, partnerships, and interest.

The Liber abaci, which was widely copied and imitated, drew the attention of the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, who was patron of science. In the year 1220, Leonardo was invited to appear before the emperor at Pisa, and there he propounded [proposed] a series of problems, three of which Leonardo presented in his books. The first two belonged to a favorite Arabic type.

Paragraph number 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 17 are extracts from the book “Islam; Creator of the Modern Age” written by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

To Be Continued

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the opinion of Dr. Henry Kissinger

This too famous, too important, too lucky man [i.e. Henry Kissinger] , whom they call Superman, Superstar, Superkraut, and who stitches together paradoxical alliances, reaches impossible agreements, keeps the world holding its breath as though the world were his students at Harvard………. but he advises on wars, ends wars, pretends to change our destiny, and does change it. But still, who is Henry Kissinger?........ the story of his life is the object of research bordering on a cult, simultaneously paradoxical and grotesque, so everyone knows that he was born in Fuerth, Germany, in 1923, son of Louis Kissinger, a high-school teacher, and Paula Kissinger, a housewife. Everyone knows that his family is Jewish, that fourteen of his relatives died in the concentration camps, that together with his father and mother and his brother Walter he fled in 1938 to London and then to New York………. Indeed it was in Krefeld that his passion for politics flowered, a passion that was gratified by his becoming an adviser to Kennedy and Johnson, later the presidential aide to Nixon, finally his secretary of state, until he came to be considered the second most powerful man in America. And already at that time, some maintained he was much more, as is shown by the joke that for years made the rounds of Washington. “Just think what would happen if Kissinger died. Richard would become president of the United States!”

After fifteen minutes of conversation, when I was biting my nails for having accepted this absurd interview from the man I was supposed to interview, he forgot a little about Vietnam, and, in the tone of zealous reporter, asked me which heads of state impressed me most. (He likes the word “impress.”) Resigned, I listed them. He agreed with me primarily on Bhutto. “Very intelligent, very brilliant.” He did not agree about Indira Gandhi…….. Of another head of state, of whom I had said that he did not seem to me highly intelligent but that I had liked him very much, he said, “It’s not intelligence that’s important in a head of state. The quality that counts in a head of state is strength. Courage, shrewdness and strength.”

Washington, November 1972

Extract from the book ‘Interview with History’ by Oriana Fallaci

Interview with then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

……… But in another sense, he reminds you of John Kennedy. Like Kennedy, he grew up in the kind of wealth for which nothing is impossible, not even the conquest of political power, cost what it may. Like Kennedy, he had comfortable, happy, privileged childhood. Like Kennedy, he began his rise to power very early.

The fact is he comes from a family of aristocrats and landowners. He studied at Berkeley and then at Oxford, taking his degree in international law. At slightly more than thirty, he was one of Ayub Khan’s ministers, though he detested him. At slightly less than forty, he was one of Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan’s ministers, though he despised him. He arrived at the presidency with painful patience….

Oriana Fallaci: one last question, Mr. President, and excuse the brutality of it. Do you think you can last?

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto: Let’s put it this way. I could be finished tomorrow, but I think I’ll last longer than anyone else who’s governed Pakistan. First of all because I’m healthy and full of energy- I can work, as I do, even eighteen hours a day. Then because I’m young – I’m barely fourty-four, ten years younger than Mrs. Gandhi. Finally because I know what I want. I’m the only leader in the Third world who has gone back into politics despite the opposition of two great powers-in 1966 the United States and the Soviet Union were both very happy to see me in trouble. And the reason I’ve been able to overcome that trouble is that I know the fundamental rule of this profession.

Karachi, April 1972

Almost everyone in the world was sad on April 4, 1979 to know that due to the split decision of Supreme Court and by the orders of President Zia ul Haque, Mr. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on false charge, was martyred.

Henry McCarty, better known as Billy the Kid, but also known by the aliases Henry Antrim andWilliam H. Bonney (reportedly November 23, 1859^[1] – July 14, 1881), was a 19th centuryAmerican frontier outlaw

One widely reported characteristic of McCarty has stood the test of research: his personal charisma and popularity. Various accounts recorded by friends and acquaintances describe him as fun-loving and jolly, articulate in both his writing and his speech, and loyal to those for whom he cared. He was fluent in Spanish, popular with Latina girls, an accomplished dancer, and thus especially well-loved within the territory's Hispanic community. There, he was regarded as a champion of the oppressed."His many Hispanic friends did not view him as a ruthless killer but rather as a defender of the people who were forced to kill in self-defense," Wallis writes. "In the time that the Kid roamed the land he chided Hispanic villagers who were fearful of standing up to the big ranchers who stole their land, water, and way of life"

Anonymous: You can’t win: They’ll fight you forever.

Willie Boy: Maybe, But they’ll know I’ve been here.

-Abraham Polonsky (1910-). Tell them Wiliie Boy is Here!(film) 1969, spoken by Robert Blake.

Tell Them Willie Boy is here is a Technicolor movie released in 1969, based on the true story of a Paiute Indian named Willie Boy and his run-in with the law in 1909 in Banning, California, United States. The movie was written and directed by the once blacklisted Abraham Polonsky, who could not direct a film since "Force of Evil" 21 years earlier in 1948.

When one man says, “No, I won’t,” Rome begins to fear. –Dalton Trumbo. Spartacus (film), 1960, spoken by Kirk Douglas (in the title role)

‘May you continue to lead your countrymen in majesty, courage and strength, for a lifetime and in peace.’ – Ovadia Yosef, an Israeli spiritual leader, wishing ailing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak well in a surprising display of goodwill towards an Arab head of state. Yosef, known for acerbic [bitter] comments, has said that ‘God regrets creating Arabs”

Time Magazine dated “July 26 2010” Verbatim

In the coming world, they will not ask me: “Why were you not Moses?” They will ask me: “Why were you not Zusya?” –Zusya(?-1800). Before his death. In Martin Buber, “Zusya of Hanipol,” Tales of the Hasidam: The Early Masters, tr. Olga Marx, 1947

Next will be an article about Arabs and Muslims massive contributions in the field of unified science, theology and philosophy mathematics, algebra, medicine, astronomy, ophthalmology, surgery, education, law and architecture.

Barack [Hussein] Obama

The Political Personality by David Remnick

When Barack Obama was still in his 20s and ran for the presidency of the Harvard Law Review, he won not least because he was able to attract conservatives as well as liberals. His capacity to project a receptive political personality attracted students who, although they saw themselves as ideological opponents, thought they could get a fair hearing from him. That habit of mind, which Obama made so conspicuous in the 2008 campaign, came up hard against the realities of U.S. politics as they are lived in the furious here and the partisan now. During the health care battle, Obama, after tireless romancing, got zero Republican support and had to spend political capital just to keep his own party in line. That urge to convince, to persuade, to draw in political opponents, will be taxed far more profoundly in the coming year. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shows no evidence of behaving like a member of the Harvard Law Review editorial board.

The ability to coordinate the wildly varying political interests of China, India, Russia, Brazil and the rest on issues like nuclear proliferation, human rights and climate change will not likely be affected by the old charms. The gifts of political personality have their distinct limits.

Remnick is the editor of the New Yorker and author of The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama – Time Magazine The 100 most Influential people in the World , May 10, 2010 issue

Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them. 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall i say to them?" God said to Moses, "I am what I am"

MOSES (14th cent. B.C.). Exodus 3:13-14

When the Egyptians were drowning, the angels wished to sing. But God said, "My children are dying, and you would sing?'

TALMUD(A.D. 1st-6th cent.). Rabbinical writings. Referring to the legend of Moses's parting of the Red Sea. In Louis I. Newman, comp., The Talmudic Anthology, 103, 1945)

[The big chief in Washington DC, The Magic Boy, The US President Barrack Hussein] Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize to mixed reviews

OSLO, Oct 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for giving the world "hope for a better future" and striving for nuclear disarmament, in a surprise award that drew both warm praise and sharp criticism.

The decision to bestow one of the world's top accolades on a president less than nine months into his first term, who has yet to score a major foreign policy success, was greeted with gasps of astonishment from journalists at the announcement in Oslo.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Obama for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples". But critics -- especially in parts of the Arab and Muslim world -- called its decision premature.

Obama's press secretary woke him with the news before dawn and the president felt "humbled" by the award, a senior administration official said.

When told in an email from Reuters that many people around the world were stunned by the announcement, Obama's senior adviser, David Axelrod, responded: "As are we."

The first African-American to hold his country's highest office, Obama, 48, has called for disarmament and worked to restart the stalled Middle East peace process since taking office in January.

"Very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future," the committee said in a citation.

While the decision won praise from statesmen like Nelson Mandela and Mikhail Gorbachev, both former Nobel laureates, it was also attacked in some quarters as hasty and undeserved.

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and opposes a peace treaty with Israel, said the award was premature at best.

"Obama has a long way to go still and lots of work to do before he can deserve a reward," said Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri. "Obama only made promises and did not contribute any substance to world peace. And he has not done anything to ensure justice for the sake of Arab and Muslim causes."

"EMBARRASSING JOKE"

Issam al-Khazraji, a day labourer in Baghdad, said: "He doesn't deserve this prize. All these problems -- Iraq, Afghanistan -- have not been solved...The man of 'change' hasn't changed anything yet."

Liaqat Baluch, a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a conservative religious party in Pakistan, called the award an embarrassing "joke".

But the chief Palestinian peace negotiator, Saeb Erekat, welcomed it and expressed hope that Obama "will be able to achieve peace in the Middle East".

Nobel Committee Chairman Thorbjoern Jagland rejected suggestions from journalists that Obama was getting the prize too early, saying it recognised what he had already done over the past year.

"We hope this can contribute a little bit to enhance what he is trying to do," he told a news conference.

The committee said it attached "special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons", saying he had "created a new climate in international politics".

Without naming Obama's predecessor George W. Bush, it highlighted the differences in America's engagement with the rest of the world since the change of administration in January.

"Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play.

"Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts," it said, and the United States was playing a more constructive role in tackling climate change.

Obama laid out his vision on eliminating nuclear arms in a speech in Prague in April. But he was not the first American president to set that goal, and acknowledged it might not be reached in his lifetime.

He is negotiating arms cuts with Russia, and last month dropped plans to base elements of a U.S. anti-missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. Moscow had seen the scheme as a threat, despite U.S. assurances it was directed against Iran.

On other pressing issues, Obama is deliberating whether to send more troops to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan, and is still searching for breakthroughs on Iran's disputed nuclear programme and on Middle East peace.

Israel's foreign minister said on Thursday there was no chance of a peace deal for many years. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters: "The Nobel prize for peace? Obama should have won 'the Nobel Prize for escalating violence and killing civilians'."

At home, Obama's popularity is flagging under the pressure of rising unemployment and a divisive, sometimes bitter debate over his healthcare reform plans.

Abroad, he is still widely seen around the world as an inspirational figure.

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who had been tipped as a favourite for the prize, told Reuters that Obama was a deserving candidate and an "extraordinary example".

Obama's uncle Said Obama told Reuters by telephone from the president's ancestral village of Kogelo in western Kenya: "It is humbling for us as a family and we share in Barack's honour... we congratulate him."

Obama is the third senior U.S. Democrat to win the prize this decade after former Vice President Al Gore won in 2007 along with the U.N. climate panel and Jimmy Carter in 2002.

The prize worth 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.4 million) will be handed over in Oslo on Dec. 10.

Obama embodies ‘spirit of dialogue’: UN chief

UNITED NATONS: UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday congratulated President Obama on winning the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he embodies “the new spirit of dialogue and engagement” in tackling world issues. “The Secretary General wholeheartedly congratulates US President Barack Obama on winning the Nobel Peace Prize,” a United Nations statement said. “President Obama embodies the new spirit of dialogue and engagement on the world’s biggest problems: climate change, nuclear disarmament and a wide range of peace and security challenges,” it added.

Republican chief says Obama win ‘unfortunate’

WASHINGTON: The head of the US Republican Party on Friday said it was “unfortunate” that President Barack Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he has celebrity status but no “real achievements.” “The real question Americans are asking is, ‘What has President Obama actually accomplished?’” RNC Chairman Michael Steele said in a statement. “It is unfortunate that the president’s star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights,” Steele said. “One thing is certain - President Obama won’t be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility, or backing up rhetoric with concrete action.”

Reuters. Published 09 Oct 2009

With two little words, Obama thrilled the Muslim World

With two little words, Barack Hussein Obama thrilled the Muslim world.

“Salaam aleikum,” he said, offering the traditional Arabic greeting “Peace be upon you” at the start of his Cairo speech last year.

The address of the first American president with Muslim roots was a bravura attempt to leech out the poison between the Islamic and Western worlds, and revive the moribund Middle East peace talks. But now, many disillusioned Muslims are echoing the all-talk, no-action refrain first popularized by the woman who became secretary of state.

“He said all the right words in his speech,” said Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister. “But the implementation took traditional roads.”

Maureen Dowd, The New York Times, Published: March 6, 2010

What will Gates & Bloomberg be doing to fight tobacco epidemic

Washington - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates announced that they would be joining forces against the global tobacco epidemic, but what will be done to actually fight it?

Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg have pledged nearly $500 million to help fight the global tobacco epidemic.

They are not simply throwing money around though, as there is a definite plane in place to what to do about tobacco problems around the world.

According to the World Health Organization, over 5 million people are killed by tobacco each and every year, the hope is they can cut down on that number.

The money put forth by Gates and Bloomberg will be going towards helping reduce tobacco use in developing countries, with locations such as India and China getting the most attention.

This is not new territory for Bill Gates, as he has donated over $2 billion to AIDS programs around the world, as well as over $1 billion to fight malaria.

The new campaign, called Mpower, combines the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, along with the World Lung Foundation, WHO, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, CDC, and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

The campaign will push for bans on cigarette smoking in public places, among other things.

dbTechno July 25, 2008

Gordon Brown and Iraq: Every answer bar the big one

……In short, Mr Brown had an answer for all questions except the one that really mattered. Why on earth did someone so historically and politically aware, so proud of his sense of right and wrong, so sensitive to the government's standing and so sceptical about Mr Blair's leadership not take a stand against the war? Everyone in British politics in 2003 knew that if Mr Brown had opposed the Iraq war it would not have happened. Yesterday was never going to be the defining Iraq moment for Mr Brown. That moment was in March 2003 and he flunked it.

Guardian Saturday 6 March 2010

Circles within Circles around the taliban

……...Karzai may outline a five-year reconciliation plan. Evidently, the London conference will only set the ball rolling in an engrossing game that promises to stretch to the final lap of Obama's second term, should he get that far. Yardsticks of success and failure do not apply to a cliffhanger. Brown may be the only winner at the present stage.

Asia Times January 28 2010

David Cameron: We will offer the radical new direction the country is crying out for

……… So this week in Manchester you will see that far from playing it safe, the Conservative Party has a radical agenda for returning power and responsibility to people. It will mean massive change in the way we run this country, how we live our lives, and what we expect from government and each other. In the words of Martin Luther King, "when you're right, you can't be too radical"

Telegraph Published: 7:00AM BST 04 Oct 2009