In May 2007 I met with academicians, local experts and researchers in the UAE. I hoped to gain an informed insight into the efforts being made in the region that would facilitate an Arab renaissance…Gitanjali Bakshi (Strategic Foresight Group)

Gitanjali : Bearing in mind your expertise in ancient Middle Eastern history, I would like to focus on aspects of the Islamic Golden Age – According to SFG’s report on the Arab-Islamic Renaissance the strengths of the period can be accredited to funding of scientific innovation, plurality of thought and free inquiry. Would you agree that these were the assets upon which Islamic civilization thrived from the 9th-12th century A.D.? What else would you suggest were its strong points?

Dr. Hamad: The most important facet during the Golden Age of Islamic civilization was freedom for the people. People were encouraged to contest issues on the basis of knowledge, through the use of dialogue rather than by the use of the sword. This was an age of ideal people…of thinkers. In my opinion there are three tangible examples that I can offer to depict the prosperity of the Islamic renaissance.

The first is the volume of recorded knowledge and information that is available even today in museums and libraries across the world from this era. Islamic scientists, scholars and engineers preserved Greek, Indian and Chinese philosophy and practice. At the same time thinkers such as Ibn Sina, Al-Kindi and Ibn Khaldun contributed their own innovation to the store-houses of human knowledge. As a result a vast number of books and manuscripts on various topics of erudition were published.

The second paradigm involves the amicable relations between Muslims and foreigners. I have in my possession a book authored by a Jewish traveler from that age. He traveled to Palestine, Syria and Iraq and he described how the Jewish people lived amongst Muslims. This is an eyewitness report of Arab and Jewish interaction. The Jews enjoyed certain rights and liberties. They enjoyed the right to prayer (hence the freedom to practice their own religion). Examples such as these highlight the amicable relations shared by Arabs and their foreign inhabitants.

Lastly, in my opinion, another influential factor that led to the strength of the Islamic civilization was trade. Through travel people from the Islamic world dealt with different cultures, places and view points. Hence travel developed an attitude of openness and inquiry. In those days the Middle East provided a point at which the East and West could connect. It provided a trade route for the exchange of raw materials between these two regions. Hence trade provided the foundation upon which cooperation between all these nations was established.

Gitanjali : You have already answered my questions about the strengths and qualities within the Islamic Golden Age, Now can you tell me what you think were the factors and causes for the decline of that period? In other words, what went wrong?

Dr. Hamad: There is no single reason that can explain the decline of the Islamic golden age but rather it is a series of calamities that led to the eventual destruction of advancement in the Arab regions. The first and perhaps most obvious reason was the damage caused by war and combat. There was the Mongol invasion in the 12th century AD. They plundered many cities and destroyed centers of learning, irrigation facilities, hospitals and observatories that were never restored completely. Then there were wars between Muslims themselves; disputes instigated in efforts to gain a monopoly of power within the region. Civil wars such as these hindered the unity of the Islamic society and fragmented the Arab world causing many rival factions and states to appear. Lastly there were wars between Muslims and other countries, especially some Christian countries that attacked the Near East and created states in the holy land and Syria.

One can also account for the expansion of Europe and the fact that European states had started establishing colonies outside of Europe that disrupted Islamic thought and practices. Another reason for the decline was perhaps a social atrophy of sorts amongst the people. Many Muslims became preoccupied with concerns for their own relaxation and pursued several vices or bad hobbies instead of trade, travel and religion. 

Gitanjali : Between the 9th and the 11th of May The King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies hosted a symposium on the historic links between Europe and the Arab world since 1450. What is your opinion on efforts such as these being made by Arab nations?

Dr. Hamad: With regard to the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies, I think that it is extremely important to study this period and to discuss and look carefully into the pursuit of core human values and co-operation across national and cultural borders. Efforts such as these will help establish strong connections and relations between the Arab World, the GCC as well as the EU. In my opinion conferences, meetings and studies are the most important way that two countries or regions of the world can understand each other.

Gitanjali: Can you name some centers and people who are involved in cultural and historic preservation within the region? A few promising Islamic historians either in the Middle East or around the world.

Dr. Hamad: Some centers such as: Zayed Centre for Heritage and History in Al-Ain, Saudi Historical Society in Riyadh and Society of History and Archaeology in GCC are involved in cultural and historic preservation within the region. Promising historians that come to mind are Prof. John Healey in the department of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Manchester, Dr. Faisal al-Kanderi in the department of history at the University of Kuwait and Prof. Saeed al-Saeed the dean of tourism and archaeology at the Univ. of King Saud in Riyadh. 

Gitanjali: What are the lessons for this century? Where do you see a revival of an Islamic renaissance? What areas do you think have potential and are not being exploited?

Dr. Hamad: I think that it is important for us to live in peace and understanding with each other. Arab and Islamic nations should maintain good relations with each other as well as with foreign countries. It is important to establish a relationship through dialogue and cooperation; military action is not the solution. I think that the right Islamic movement is a good example of the revival of an Islamic renaissance if the governments inculcate a fair and equitable election process through which nations can choose people of their own accord.