الإسلام والغرب: نحو عالم أفضل

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The Clash of Civilization: A Critique

the Pope in Rome. • Salah ad-Din al-Ayubi who finally defeated the Crusaders, for his chivalry, honesty and erudition became a legendary figure in the West. • The animal fables of "Kalila wa Dimna" circulated in the West as much as the tales of "1001 Nights". • Dante drew on Muslim descriptions of al-miraj in his "Divina Comedia". • Ibn Tufavl's philosophical novel "Hayy Ibnu-Yaqzan" became a huge success in the West and was - badly copied - by Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe". • Andalusian love poetry (muwashahat) and Ibn Hazm's Tawq al- Hamama (The Dove's Necklace) inspired French troubadour songs. It is even easier to trace the cultural contributions of Islam in the fields of philosophy, natural sciences, architecture, agriculture and the crafts. Galen's writings via Arabic translation found their way to Italy. Aristotle was rediscovered in Paris thanks to ibn Rushd's commentaries. Ibn Khaldun's "Muqqadima" was discovered by the West, rather late, as the foundation of modern historiography and sociology. The Gothic arch in Western cathedrals is of Oriental origin as well. In the 18th century, in the hands of modern intellectuals like Voltaire, Lessing, Frederic II of Prussia and Goethe Islam played a major role in their fight against the obscurantist and corrupt domination of Christian clergy. Islam served as the rational mirror for fighting Church abuse in Central Europe. Even today, it is difficult to sort out what was genuinely Occidental and what was Muslim influence in the development of Western culture. This civilization, at any rate, is definitely not just judeo-christian. It is judeo-

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