Islam’s Civilized Past … and Uncivilized Present

Due to the ghastly defeats they have sustained and conflicts among themselves, these days the reputation of the world’s Muslims have reached a new low. This reputation is linked to bloody terrorism, accomplished by the bombing of U.S. landmarks on September 11, 2001, which killed thousands of innocent people. The world saw people jumping to their deaths from the upper floors of the Twin Towers to escape being burned alive. We have also seen before television cameras in Afghanistan and Iraq, Muslims show pride in beheading people – ghastly scenes watched by millions of viewers around the world. The criminal acts that link all of us [Muslims] to terrorism are more than anyone can count.

They stretch from Buenos Aires in Argentina to the Bali islands in Indonesia, passing through London, Madrid, Casablanca, Sharm el-Sheik, Al-Khobar and Kuwait. Ultimately, we blame ourselves for these terrorist acts, but tell the world that these crimes were not committed by real Muslims. But at the same time, some admire and take pride in the people who committed these ghastly crimes.

In my earlier articles, I have written about Arabs and Muslims who have disgraced us, but today I write about how other Muslim men altered the face of the civilized world [for the better]. Today, as we look through the kaleidoscope of history, we see how hundreds of years ago, some Muslims changed the face of the world with great inventions. Western civilizations have even improved upon these to make life easier for everyone.

The fair-minded author Paul Vallely, has written an article about 20 discoveries that revolutionized the world []. In his article, he says Muslims changed the face of the world with their “discovery” of coffee and the technology of boiling water (which no one can do without in his daily life), the use of lenses to address defects of the eye, the rules of chess, the invention of soap and techniques for flying, water pumps, quilting techniques, bridge building and the art of construction, which was adopted by ancient Europeans, advanced surgical tools, windmills, inoculations to cure disease, dry ball pens, the numerical system, the principle of eating three meals a day, the manufacture of dyed rugs, the roundness of the earth and the use of gunpowder.

All of these are Islamic and Arabic inventions, but the Europeans improved upon them to reach the current level of superior quality, while the Muslims and Arabs are stuck in the same place. Those who speak in high-pitch voices have only developed ways and tools for killing and terrorism. This is the difference between our civilized past and the uncivilized present.