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Well, I see "Napalm" self-immolated.
In any case, I had hoped that this thread would remain as one for observations of Arab culture, in the hope that it might prove useful to us in the war on terror. I did not intend it to be an indictment of Arabs as terrorists, nor a discussion of Islam in general (a facinating topic in itself).
That being said, I think Che has pointed out that Islam is inextricably linked to Arab culture, and Arab culture has an influence on Islam. The fact that the Holy Qur'an is written in Arabic, and is the fundamental basis of the written Arabic language, is telling, I think.
I think it is a mistake to conclude that Islam was the catalyst that stifled Arab culture. History seems to show the contrary. In fact history seems to demonstrate that Greek philosophy and science were re-introduced into Europe through contact with Muslim states. This is what triggered the Rennaisance, and subsequently the Age of Reason.
On a tangent: translations of documents are inherently flawed. A classic example is the King James Bible. Beautiful prose in English, but a very flawed translation from the Greek (which was a partial translation from Aramaic). However, KJV serves as the foundation for many fundamentalist Christian sects. Draw your own conclusions.
I'll close with this offering: this is the 15th century of Islam. Take a look at the 15th century of Christianity, and compare. Ae you surprised? I would offer that Islam will mature more quickly than Christianity did, if only because modern communications will expedite things. We just happen to be in the middle of history.
Acorn
In any case, I had hoped that this thread would remain as one for observations of Arab culture, in the hope that it might prove useful to us in the war on terror. I did not intend it to be an indictment of Arabs as terrorists, nor a discussion of Islam in general (a facinating topic in itself).
That being said, I think Che has pointed out that Islam is inextricably linked to Arab culture, and Arab culture has an influence on Islam. The fact that the Holy Qur'an is written in Arabic, and is the fundamental basis of the written Arabic language, is telling, I think.
I think it is a mistake to conclude that Islam was the catalyst that stifled Arab culture. History seems to show the contrary. In fact history seems to demonstrate that Greek philosophy and science were re-introduced into Europe through contact with Muslim states. This is what triggered the Rennaisance, and subsequently the Age of Reason.
On a tangent: translations of documents are inherently flawed. A classic example is the King James Bible. Beautiful prose in English, but a very flawed translation from the Greek (which was a partial translation from Aramaic). However, KJV serves as the foundation for many fundamentalist Christian sects. Draw your own conclusions.
I'll close with this offering: this is the 15th century of Islam. Take a look at the 15th century of Christianity, and compare. Ae you surprised? I would offer that Islam will mature more quickly than Christianity did, if only because modern communications will expedite things. We just happen to be in the middle of history.
Acorn
