Image of the Day

Syrian-born astrophysician Rim Turkmani of Imperial College
believes that Arab and Muslim science had a profound influence on the
West during the Renaissance. In the 17th century, European scientists even
gave written references in Arabic and Persian. They translated Arabic
scientific texts. Edmond Halley – of comet fame – translated two Arabic
books into English, and wrote an essay on the mathematician al-Battani,
the ‘Arabic Ptolemy’. Chemist Robert Boyle studied the works of Jabir bin
Hayan. “At the time of the Renaissance and the scientific revolution,”
Turkmani told the newspaper L’Orient Le Jour, “…Western scientists
recognized the Arab contribution and cited Arabic works.”
But today, no-one talking about Halley or Boyle refers to their debt to
Arab scientists. Turkmani won’t give any reason for this. Perhaps we
should reassess our debt to Arab scientists by understanding our history a
little better. Why did the Arabs disappear from ‘our’ science? Because they
didn’t bridge that gap between writing and the spoken word? Or because
we Westerners suddenly discovered ‘Orientalism’, the suspicious Muslim
‘other’ which still dominates our lives?
“…and the word was with God,” we are told. It’s a moot point.
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