Islam & Cultural Encounters

Islam & Cultural EncountersAP World HistoryChapter 11 NotesThe Islamic CivilizationEven after the Arab Empire fell apart, the Islamic civilization continued to growMajor areas of Muslim expansion: India, Anatolia, West Africa, and Spain

IndiaIslam brought to India by Muslim Turks from Central AsiaViolent invasions destruction of Hindu and Buddhist templesTheir conquests led to a series of Muslim-led governments in India

IndiaIslam never became the dominant faith in India like it did in the Middle East, North Africa, and PersiaVery sharp cultural divide between Islam and Hinduism prevented mass conversion

Islam vs. HinduismMonotheisticNo representation of AllahEquality of all believersSexual modestyPolytheisticEndless statues and images of the divineCaste systemSexual opennessSikhismBlended Islam and HinduismDevotion to one GodHindu concepts = karma and rebirth

Guru NankFounder of SikhismAnatoliaModern-day TurkeyWas governed by Byzantine Empire at the timeFilled with Christian & Greek-speaking peopleInvaded by the TurksResult = huge cultural transformationBy 1500 = 90% of the population was Muslim and Turkic-speaking

Conversion of AnatoliaSmall population of about 8 million people = easy to convertExtensive disruption of Anatolian society when the Byzantine Empire weakenedEnslavement, famine, massacres, church properties destroyed, many discriminationsMany Christians came to believe that these disasters were proof that Islam was the true religionConversion of AnatoliaCultural barriers to conversion were less severe in Anatolia than in IndiaMost people in Anatolia already monotheistic (Christian)Muslim respect for Jesus and the Christian scripturesDivide between Islam and Christianity not as major as the one between Islam and HinduismSufi missionaries also built: schools, mills, orchards, hospices, and rest places for travelersWest AfricaIslam spread by Muslim traders across the SaharaPeaceful and voluntary acceptance of IslamMainly in urban centers of West African empires Ghana, Songhay, Mali, etc.

West AfricaMany West African cities became major centers of Islamic religious and intellectual lifeEspecially TimbuktuMore than 150 Quranic schoolsSeveral major centers of higher educationLibraries with tens of thousands of textsConstruction of huge mosquesAdopted Arabic as the language of religion, education, administration, and tradeGreat Mosque at Jenne

SpainConquered by Arab and Berber forces in the early 700sEarly Muslim Spain:Vibrant civilizationAstronomy, medicine, the arts, architecture, and literature flourishedHarmony and tolerance between Muslim rulers and Christian and Jewish subjectsFreedom of worship

Spain10th and 11th centuries = end of the era of tolerationWarfare with remaining Christian states in northern Spain picked upMore rigid forms of Islam entered Spain from North Africa

Muslim Mosque ofCordoba, SpainSpain: New IntoleranceMuslims avoided contact with ChristiansChristian homes built lower than Muslim homesPriests forbidden to carry crosses or Bibles

SpainChristians started to regain Spain after 1200Many Muslims forced outNo more: call to prayer, public practice of Muslim faith, pilgrimagesChristians officially reconquered Spain in 1492ALL Muslims (and Jews!) expelled from Spain

Islam as a New CivilizationEven after the fall of the Arab Empire: Islamic beliefs and practices preserved and transmitted by the ulama (Muslim scholars)Passed on core teachings of the faith in their homes, mosques, shrines, and Quranic schoolsMadrasas = formal colleges set up in the 11th century = offered more advanced instruction in the Quran

Islamic CivilizationIslamic Civilization = not only a network of faith, but also a network of exchangeExchange of: goods, technologies, food products, and ideas

Trade and the BazaarMuslims traded spices, carpets, glass & textilesTraded for silk (China); rubies (India); ivory and slaves (Africa)Goods were sold in city bazaars = marketplaces

The House of WisdomFounded by the caliph al-MamunWas a research center in BaghdadScholars translated texts from Greek, Persian & Indian into ArabicPerformed scientific experiments

House of Wisdom

MathematicsInvented algebra & equations for curves and lines

Astronomy & GeographyImproved the Greek astrolabe = determines the position of the stars, the movement of the planets, and the timeAstrolabe made navigation easier and safer

ChemistryDeveloped alchemy = attempting to turn lead into goldAl-Razi classified chemical substances as animal, mineral, or vegetableCreated the science of optics = study of light & its effects on sight

MedicinePhysicians al-Razi and Ibn Sina = accurately diagnosed many diseasesHay fever, measles, smallpox, diphtheria, rabies, diabetesArab doctors started:Hernia operationsCataract operationsFilling teeth with gold

Ibn Sina