Replying to LO27802 --
Mark W McElroy writes:
> I heard someone recently point out why certain factions of Islam have
> gotten themselves into so much trouble over the years. A few centuries
> ago, I can't remember how long, Islam suddenly abandoned its policy of
> inclusiveness for women. Up until then, Muslims had been leaders among
> leaders, captains of industry, science, art, and the humanities. But soon
> after they institutionalized the marginalization of women, their
> performance on the world stage, on the stage of humanity, began to
> decline.
I think this refers to Bernard Lewis' recent work "What Went Wrong:
Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response". If you're interested in the
full, more complex story, here's a couple of links:
An NPR interview:
http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/jan/lewis/020103.lewis.html
An article in The Atlantic:
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2002/01/lewis.htm
And the Amazon link to Lewis' book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195144201/learningorg
Also on the subject, Jared Diamond mentions the decline of the Arab
empires in his "Guns, Germs, and Steel". His take on the issue is an
environmental one. The area that we think of as mostly desert, was once
called "the fertile crescent", and was the agricultural engine of
civilization in the region for quite a while. As Europe was undergoing
the Renaissance, however, the farms of the Middle East were playing out
from overuse; in effect, the empire started to run out of "fuel" for the
human engines that powered it. (I haven't read Lewis' book, so I don't
know if he touches on this.)
--Don Dwiggins "Solvitur Ambulando" d.l.dwiggins@computer.org
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