Not Always The Case

Submitted by BB King (United States), Dec 30, 2011 at 21:13

Hi again Ianus,

I will have to disagree with you again I am afraid, but this should be an interesting debate. You're a formidable opponent and have vast knowledge. But here is my say: The entire history of Islam was not one continuous act after another of book burning, or a war on books as you like to call it.

It is true that Muslims at times had a tendency to burn books as the Caliph Umar did but Muslims also preserved the works of Greek philosophers. For instance, one of the greatest philosophers of the Muslim world, Ibn Rushd was inspired by the Greek philosophers. Dante even put him in Limbo I believe in his masterpiece Dante's Inferno.

Many Muslim writers and thinkers such as Ibn Na'imah al-Himsi translated the philosophy of Aristotle and other Greek thinkers.

Here is the evidence for this:

http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H011.htm

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