Jordan Times
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
New book examines Islam’s contributions to modern society
AMMAN (JT) — The Jordanian embassy in Washington,
DC and the National Geographic Society on Monday co-hosted the launch of “Lost
History: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Scientists, Thinkers, and Artists.”
The National Geographic publication, with a foreword by His Majesty King
Abdullah, is authored by former US diplomat and writer Michael Hamilton Morgan,
according to an embassy statement.
In Lost History, Morgan presents a comprehensive view of Muslim civilisation and
its diverse contributions to the arts, sciences, philosophy, music, arithmetic,
architecture and modern society.
As timely as it is telling, Lost History seeks to bridge the gulf of
misunderstanding, misinformation and incomplete knowledge that plagues both
sides in what is now referred to as the “clash of civilizations,” the statement
said.
“It is hoped that this work will contribute to greater understanding of Islam by
Westerners, and will help them appreciate that just as our pasts have
intertwined in constructive ways, so too can our futures,” King Abdullah wrote
in the foreword.
The book is an essential and gripping reading for anyone seeking to understand
how early Muslim breakthroughs in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, science,
culture and leadership not only laid the cornerstones of the European
Renaissance, but how they reverberate even today in computation, digital
appliances, surgery and pharmaceuticals, film and books, modern universities and
global commerce.
The author chronicles the Golden Ages of Islam, beginning in 570AD with the
birth of the Prophet Mohammad and introduces scholars like Ibn Al Haytham, Ibn
Sina, Al Tusi, Al Khwarizmi, and Omar Khayyam, towering figures who
revolutionised the mathematics, astronomy, and medicine of their time and paved
the way for Newton, Copernicus, and many others, according to the National
Geographic website.
“Lost History delivers a missing link to the story of an interconnected world:
The achievements of Muslim civilisation and its influence on East and West,”
former president Jimmy Carter wrote in his review of the book.
Morgan, the founder of New Foundations for Peace, is author of “The Twilight
War,” “Graveyards of the Pacific” and “Collision with History: the Search for
John F. Kennedy’s PT 109.”
On the last two books he collaborated with Titanic discoverer Robert Ballard. He
has appeared on “Good Morning America,” “CBS Evening News” and Mutual Radio.
From 1990-2000 he directed Mobil’s Pegasus Prize for Literature. He was a US
diplomat from 1980-87.
The book launch is part of the embassy’s cultural series organised by the Jordan
Information Bureau.