Arab West Report Egyptian press summaries and media research for dialogue

The book entitled, ’Lost History’’ written by former U.S diplomat and writer Michael Hamilton Morgan is an attempt to bridge the gap between Islam and the West. It provides a vital look at the Muslim world and its deep connection with other cultures.

Morgan reveals how early Muslim advancements in science and culture lay the cornerstones of the European Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and modern Western society.

He addresses the Islamic conquests which the West describes as a wide scale military campaign that aimed to coercively impose Islam on people [Editor: There is no such thing as ’the West describes.’ It would be more accurate to write that many people in the West believe this which is the result of many anti-Muslim popular writings]. The author refutes such concepts, saying that Muslims remained a minority in many countries they ruled such as Persia where they constituted only 10 percent of its population in the first century of the expansion of the Islamic state.

Concerning Jizyah which was imposed on non-Muslims living in Islamic dominated countries, he says that it was imposed in return for the social services which Muslims provided for them. He asserts that people converted to Islam of their own free will and due to the economic boom which these countries experienced under Islamic rule [Editor: economic boom? certainly not in all ages and this is certainly not the only or main reason for conversions].