Saudi scholar Ibrahim Al-Buleihi says the Arabs have not provided any added value to human civilization, and that what is attributed to them by the intellectual and scientific achievements was originally accomplished by Greek individuals. He added, what distinguishes the West is that history is an extension of Greek and the Roman history.
He told the Arab Net TV Channel that the communities remain constant, and do not accept change in their ideas, without the intellectual and practical shake up.He pointed out the Arabs have become an obstruction to the development of civilization and all that they publish is reports about bombing, killing, massacres, violence and discoveries of mass graves.In reply to a question about his intellectual composition and what is the powerful event that made him search for the problems of Muslim and Arab societies through philosophy, Al-Buleihi replied by saying he was aware ever since his childhood that there is a huge gap between the Arabs, Muslims and others, and between them and the West.He pointed out the West alone had taken big strides in this great civilization which is qualitatively different from everything known to the entire human race. He said the nations that took the West for a role model, developed according to the size of inspiration from them.He added when he was young, he had a strong desire to know the factors that enabled the West do all this and kept the other nations in the same situation no different from their predecessors.He said: I always read and heard that our ancestors had made great achievements and that the West was greatly influenced by them, so he searched early throughout history to know the truth about this claim and the reasons for the disappearance of these facts, if any, in the hope that he would find out what confirms such allegation and reassure self.After years of research, I felt certain that we, the Arabs went to the theatre of history to proclaim religion and were never interested in the affairs of life, Al-Buleihi said.He added religion is basic for man but it should not be a hindrance for development and prosperity for people in their present life.It was very painful to know that we did not contribute to the development of the world or that we added any value to human civilization. What was attributed to us is from Greek intellectuals and the scientific achievements.These individual intellectuals were outside the prevailing Arab cultural pattern. According to our culture they were still outcasts such as Ibn Rushd, Ibn al-Haytham, Ibn Al-Nafis, Al-Razi, Ibn Sina, Al-Farabi, Ibn Hayyan and many others.The results of my research and the delusions about the naïve Arab contributions are very painful because we delude our generations with allegations which radically contradict with the realities of the past and present Arab life.When I was certain about the results, I had to get to know the facts that enabled the West acquire this qualitative separation from Asia, Africa and elsewhere, although the entire Europe was less populated than China.I kept searching in the European history and found that the basic element which distinguished the West is that their history which was an extension of the Greek and Roman history, and the culture of Greece which is characterized by openness, freedom and diversity, and is amazingly unique in philosophical thought.This is an important discovery, and I realized that the privilege of the West comes from philosophical thought, especially its critical side.I also knew that that this qualitative diversity in the manner of thinking enabled the West to become the creator of knowledge and not just echoing the words of their predecessors.Such diversity adds and erases, brings knowledge and abilities in a superb manner in the world and shows how conditions are subject to change successively with continuous growth.I also found out that the university education does not create awareness in a backward society, but to the contrary devotes values and perceptions, and deepen the loyalty to reality.email: [email protected]By Ahmad Al-SarrafTo be continued ...
Ahmad Al-Sarraf
