It will probably be discomfiting to some viewers of this excellently written, photographed and hosted documentary to realize that Islam, at least in its infancy and initial rapid expansion through Northern Africa ultimately to Spain, was a model of intellectual inquiry and cultural assimilation, not so much conquering people as convincing them that it had something truly spectacular to offer. While the Muslims of the 8th-10th centuries were expanding our knowledge of mathematics, astronomy and philosophy, it's simply inarguable that at the same time the Christian hierarchy was tamping down any thought or even mere hint of a thought that did not agree with its worldview. If history is written by the victors, it's not hard to understand host Bettany Hughes' seeming outrage that the Christians who ultimately triumphed in Moorish Spain did their utmost to deny any Islamic influence (well at least anything really profound) and even went so far as to try to wipe out the actual history that had taken place.
0 comments:
Post a Comment