In praise of Moorish civilization

In praise of Moorish civilization

There was once a civilization that was the greatest in the world.

It was able to create a continental super-state that stretched from
ocean to ocean, and from northern climes to tropics and deserts. Within
its dominion lived hundreds of millions of people, of different creeds
and ethnic origins.

One of its languages became the universal language of much of the
world, the bridge between the peoples of a hundred lands. Its armies
were made up of people of many nationalities, and its military
protection allowed a degree of peace and prosperity that had never been
known. The reach of this civilization's commerce extended from Latin
America to China, and everywhere in between.

And this civilization was driven more than anything, by invention. Its
architects designed buildings that defied gravity. Its mathematicians
created the algebra and algorithms that would enable the building of
computers, and the creation of encryption. Its doctors examined the
human body, and found new cures for disease. Its astronomers looked
into the heavens, named the stars, and paved the way for space travel
and exploration.

Its writers created thousands of stories. Stories of courage, romance
and magic. Its poets wrote of love, when others before them were too
steeped in fear to think of such things.

When other nations were afraid of ideas, this civilization thrived on
them, and kept them alive. When censors threatened to wipe out
knowledge from past civilizations, this civilization kept the knowledge
alive, and passed it on to others.
While modern Western civilization shares many of these traits, the
civilization I'm talking about was the Moorish world from the year
800 to 1600, which included the courts of Fez, Cordova, Granada,
Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo etc, and enlightened rulers like Suleiman
the Magnificent or Ahmed the Invincible Warrior and Yacub al mansoor el
Dhabi... (ofcourse my Beloved Gran'da'dy's)

Although we are often unaware of our indebtedness to this other
civilization, its gifts are very much a part of our heritage. The
technology industry would not exist without the contributions of Al
Ghrab mathematicians. Andalusian poet-philosophers challenged our
notions of self and truth. Leaders like Suleiman contributed to our
notions of tolerance and civic leadership.

And perhaps we can learn a lesson from his example: It was leadership
based on meritocracy, not inheritance. It was leadership that harnessed
the full capabilities of a very diverse population-that included
Christianity, Islamic, and Jewish traditions.

This kind of enlightened leadership - leadership that nurtured
culture, sustainability, diversity and courage - led to more than 800
years of invention and prosperity.

In dark and serious times like this, we must affirm our commitment to
building societies and institutions that aspire to this kind of
greatness. More than ever, we must focus on the importance of
leadership- bold acts of leadership and decidedly personal acts of
leadership. (Extract from a speech by Carly Fiorina, CEO of
Hewlett-Packard, delivered on September 26, 2001 in Minneapolis,
Minnesota at a conference whose theme was: "TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS AND
OUR WAY OF LIFE: WHAT'S NEXT")

__________________
Know Your enemy!
No time to waste. Act now!
Tomorrow it will be too late
What You Don't Know Can Kill You!