Empires - Islam: Empire of Faith

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Summary: The video lies: A quick lesson in history
Review: "Algebra and trigonometry, engineering and astronomy, countless disciplines integral to our lives today trace their roots to Islamic scientists". This quote from the video demonstrates the tone of what you will get if you purchase this video. Unfortunately, the entire quote is a lie. Contrary to the opinions of the Muslim apologists I have just finished reading, there was science and mathematics prior to the beginnings of Islam. Let us examine that quote: Al-Khwarizmi was a Muslim scholar working at the House of Wisdom, an academy in Baghdad modelled after the Great Library of Alexandria, where Greek and Indian philosophical and scientific texts were translated. Al-Khwarizmi wrote a book around the year 830 AD called "Hisab al-jabr w'al-muqabala" from which the term "algebra" got its name--the word "al-jabr" means "completion"--however, the actual process of algebra (without being so named) was invented by an Alexandrian Greek named Diophantus. Diophantus lived approximately 600 years before Al-Khwarizmi. Diophantus wrote a text on algebra around the year 250 AD, many centuries ahead of the Muslims. Diophantus is universally recognized (with the possible exception of a few Muslim apologists) as the "father of algebra". Furthermore, it should be noted that Al-Khwarizmi's algebra was done entirely in written words--there was none of the algebraic notation we use today. At any rate, he wrote his "al-jabr" 580 years after algebra had been invented.
Likewise, a Greek mathematician named Hipparchus founded trigonometry in 140 BC. Our knowledge of trigonometry was added to by Manelaus, a Greek; Ptolemy, a Babylonian; Arybhata, an Indian; Regiomontanus, a European; Gunter, a European, and so forth. The main role the Muslims played in the developement of trigonometry was the role of translator, helping to reintroduce Greek ideas into Europe and helping expose the Europeans to Indian mathematics.
As for engineering and astronomy, both are thoroughly documented as having existed in ancient cultures around the world, from Egypt to Greece to Rome to China. Neither the pyramids nor the Roman aqueducts were built by chance; it took monumental understanding of engineering to erect such structures. A number of individual star names are Arabic, but all of our modern constellations are Greek in origin. And regardless, all ancient cultures had their own versions of the constellations.
It is true that Muslims built upon the knowledge of other civilizations, but, in spite of the Politically Correct revisions of this video, it is also quite clear that Muslims actually invented very little. For example, it is thoroughly documented that "Arabic" numerals were invented in India--in fact, most modern scholars actually use the correct term Indian numerals now--yet the video claims Indian numerals were invented by Muslims. And such outrageous claims about how advanced the Muslim culture was abound in this video.
For all its building up of the Muslim culture, this video fails to answer the obvious question: What happened? What went wrong? If Islam was so great, how can you explain the sorry state it is in today? Why has nothing of value come out of Islam in the past 500 years? Why did the rest of the world leave Islam so far behind? Why were Galileo and Newton and Einstein and Bohr Europeans and not Muslims? Why did the Enlightenment happen in Europe and America and not in Islamic lands? If Islam was so democratic as the video claims it was, why did the Revolution happen in America and not the Ottoman Empire? While Americans were writing the Constitution, Muslims were still slaving under despots. Why would such supposedly advanced people put up with such atrocious leadership for so long? And why is it that today goods are manufactured in America, Europe and the Far East and not in the Middle East? The only thing of value that comes out of the Middle East today is oil--and that is drilled for using Western equipment. Why do Muslims consistently see the West as their enemy, when in fact they, themselves, are their own worst enemy and their own religion holds them down? Why is it that at every border Muslims share with other religions there is war. Why is the one common ingredient of every interreligious war in the world today--whether it is a war on Jews, Christians, or Hindus--why is that one common ingredient Islam? It is high-time for an Islamic Reformation. It is time for Muslims to learn to live peacefully with their neighbors. This video, with its all-glory-and-no-shame approach to Islam does a disservice to scholarship and to the reputation of PBS. It is too easy to find out facts for yourself in our modern world: Don't lie to me. All that I have just said is easy to find for anyone with half a brain and access to an encyclopedia or even the internet. All you have to do is have the courage to look for yourself and find out the facts, not just what you wish were true, but what really happened. And do your own homework. To quote one of the previous reviewers, this video is "Politically Correct history at its worst".

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Summary: Good, could have been better
Review: "Islam-Empire of Faith" provides a decent history of the birth and spread of Islam, but some glaring omissions make the program somewhat disappointing. The first episode covers the life and career of Muhammed, as it should, but only a brief mention is made of the split in Islam that occurred after his death. The followers of Muhammed couldn't decide who should lead the people: a blood relative or the most capable person. So Islam split into two factions, the Shia and the Sunni. As I don't know much about the differences, I was hoping this program would go into more details, but it doesn't. A definite missed opportunity.

The 2nd episode covers the spread of Islam throughout the Middle East and North Africa, but does not mention that these were conquests of people and lands. If one did not know better, one might think this was a peaceful conversion of towns and cities to the Islamic empire, but this is not so. It was a military conquest, just like any other.

Also, the Muslims are held up as the great thinkers of their time, and for the most part they were, but there are some black eyes here too. A Muslim was responsible for the destruction of the Great Library in Alexandria, which housed treasures that will never be recovered again. A great literary loss.

One issue the program does cover is that the "spark" that caused the Crusades actually began with a Muslim. The "mayor" of Jerusalem ordered the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the early 1100s, and it was this act that created the mistrust between Christian and Muslim. By the end of the century the 1st crusade had begun, in part because Christians had the excuse that they couldn't allow their holy places to remain under the rule of people who did not respect them.

The program does a wonderful job of bringing to light the positive Islamic contributions in many areas - art, architecture, astronomy, science, medicine, etc. There is no question the Muslims did much to advance world civilization. But, as with everything else, there are usually a few negatives that go along with the positives. This program could have been a bit more balanced in telling that story.

Three stars. Excellent cinematography and fine narration by Ben Kingsley.

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Summary: DVD version
Review: ...Everybody should have this documentory !!.......This is collector item. Unlike many other "biased" documentaries produced in the Western world, Islam Empire of Faith, was a well-balanced, historical and objective look at Islam

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Summary: Very Informative....
Review: ...great introduction to the development and history of Islam. Very easy to watch. I learned a lot from it.

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Summary: History of Islamic Civilization!
Review: A great source of knowledge for those who want to learn about the history of Islamic civilizations.

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Summary: Questioning Islamic History is Not Anti-Islamic
Review: A number of reviewers have voiced concerns about historical inaccuracies (lies) in this video, only to be promptly criticised by promoters of this video with phrases like "narrow minded", "hateful ignorant bile", etc. What the promoters do not realize is that to criticize actions by Muslims--and the video's portrayal of those actions--is not condemning the Islamic faith. It is simply seeking the truth, even if that truth shows Muslims in a negative light on occasion, something the video refuses to do. All civilizations, Islam included, have committed atrocities against humanity. Documentaries about Western civilizations have no trouble pointing out their crimes alongside their good points. That is the problem with this video. The video absolutely refuses to say a negative word about Islamic civilization. What's more, in building up Islamic civilization, the video constantly tries to belittle Christian European civilization. At times, the video even lies in order to make Islam look good. For example, the video tells us that Muslims invented cataract surgery: In fact, cataract surgery was practiced by both the Romans and the Indians long centuries before Muhammed was even born. The video portrays Europe as backwards during the Medieval times, yet it fails to mention that the two most important inventions of the day, the horseshoe and the horse collar (for farming), both came out of Europe, not Islam. And while the Christian Crusades are vehemently condemned in a full three and a half minute diatribe, not a word is said to question the atrocities committed by Muslims both before and after the Crusades. When the video finally gives us one detailed account of Muslim aggression, the siege of Constantinople, not a single word is said to question the Muslim atrocities that took place. In fact, the atrocities are not even mentioned. All we hear is a glorious account of Muslim triumph. The fact that the city was looted and the inhabitants raped, murdered, and tortured for three days is curiously absent from this video. The fact that the survivors were sold into slavery is curiously absent from this video. Why? An Islamic scholar recently said, "Between fear and political correctness, it's not possible to say anything other than sugary nonsense about Islam". For fear of being called anti-Islamic, or worse yet receiving the Salman Rushdie treatment, scholars are no longer free to do serious research and present facts. They are now required to disguise cold hard facts with "sugary nonsense" so as not to offend Muslims who equate every act committed by Muslims with Islam itself. If any Muslim did anything, it was a good thing or there was a good reason. And if anybody questions anything in this video, they are anti-Islamic and narrow-minded. Sure. Though you'll never hear it in this video, I've got news for you, Muslims have committed quite a few terrible atrocities throughout their history. Muslims were the aggressors during Medival times, but as a result of the Crusades and the Reconquista, Muslims became the defenders instead. But you'll never learn that in this video. In order to make Islam look good,this video ignores so many bad things that Muslims have done that it's worthless. Turn off the volume and just look at the pretty pictures. PBS has produced some great documentaries in the past, unfortunately, this isn't one of them. Look elsewhere for accurate history. You'll get nothing but sugary nonsense here.

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Summary: A new piece in my puzzle of human advancement
Review: All of my history had been learned from a western point of view. This video cleared up a lot of my misconceptions about the advance of technology and learning in general. It helped sharpen the focus of the inhibiting nature of religion upon intellectual freedom. It appears to be a fortuitous occurence that Mohammed and his followers did not develop a bias against freedom of thought thus allowing for the advance of knowledge. It magnified the cruelty of a clerically ruled society as occurred in Christianity and Judaism. It is almost ironical that Islam has today largely become that same form of clerical tyranny that Christianity and Judaism exhibited during the dark ages. Islam today has no right to brag about the advances of Muslims of the early years. Just look at the extremests of today. Of course not all Muslims are terrorists but most terrorists are Muslim. Why is this? What kind of enlightened religion offers a million dollar reward for the murder of of someone who has written something that the Muslim powers disagree with? What kind of enlightenment does that sort of thing exhibit? An enlightened society, in my opinion, gives every member of its society, male AND female, equal rights and privileges. From my perspective, religion is an extremely devisive force in human society, no matter what that religion may be. However, the Video is one of the most interesting and informative views of medieval history that I have ever seen and I highly recommend it to all.

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Summary: wonderfully done
Review: An excellent and wonderfully made documentary. The histories of Islamic and Muslim empires are represented in an unbiased and honest manner. The documentary reveals the aspects of Islam that are unknown to most in the West, and looks beyond the oft-repeated stereotype of "conversion at the point of the sword" (among other things). The documentary focuses more on Empire, and less on Faith (although it gives an excellent resume of Islam). Overall, a wonderfully made documentary, historically accurate, unbiased, and delightfully entertaining to watch.

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Summary: A MUST SEE
Review: An eye opener. I've watched it so many times and learned something new every time I watched it. Order it and you won't be sorry.

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Summary: islam empire of faith
Review: As a professor this is the second best production i have ever seen, viewer be aware this is made directed and produced by Americans so what you'll get is an American perspective on the religion. It is the best American production I have ever seen because it tells the viwer the history instead of flying by over a 1000years in time in a few minutes and than spending hours on the events of 9/11 and its relation with the religion. It is important for the viewer to know that the actions of a handfull of people from any religion do not own or tell the whole history of any religion the same is true in this case. I also recommend the message the story of islam, the lion in the desert, earth, the hajj abc night line, and for all interested to read the koran. This was really excellent I only wished it was longer.