While at times it seems the waves of intolerance and prejudice endlessly crash against the shores of the most vulnerable, the truth is that so many teachers and scholars have made it their mission to navigate and eliminate hate.
On May 20, 2021, as part of “Now,” a production of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, host John Milewski discussed with his guests the importance of scholarship and knowledge in Islam. His guests were Atif Qarni, the Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University’s School of International Service and the former Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland, with the broader conversation centered around Ahmed’s newest book: The Flying Man, Aristotle, and the Philosophers of the Golden Age of Islam: Their Relevance Today.
Ahmed, who has been described as “the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam” by the BBC, considers The Flying Man “the most important book that he has written” to date, because there is such a lack of knowledge about the Golden Age of Islam, which further contributes to the great cultural misunderstanding between Islam and the West.
This event was held to emphasize the importance of broadening horizons when it comes to education, but also to discuss the way that The Flying Man brings historical lessons into the present. Amid the violent uproars against minority communities and a global pandemic, Ambassador Ahmed chose to explore the past, researching the “Golden Age of Muslim Philosophers” and finding ways to apply this wisdom into the present-day dilemmas. Named after the well-known thought experiment put forth by the great Muslim philosopher Avicenna, this book notes the philosophy that “we can distinguish the soul from the body.” Ahmed also emphasizes that this golden age directly influenced the work of great thinkers like St. Thomas Aquinas and Rabbi Maimonides.
The interactions between these philosophers of different faiths sparked ideas that were carried into the works of John Locke and Thomas Jefferson, inspiring foundational documents like the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. “Highlighting these (Muslim) intellectuals who had great contributions to society is important because it really helps battle the negative perceptions that are out there,” said Qarni. “There is a great humanity in these people,” said Ambassador Ahmed of the scholars he writes about in The Flying Man.
Qarni and Ahmed are each at different ends of the spectrum when it comes to the dissemination of knowledge, and so even just bridging the gap between those like the Ambassador who have written books about the Golden Age of Islam, and Qarni who has incorporated these ideas into Virginia public school curriculum, is essential to ensure that this information is made available to young people.
Qarni touched on East Asian discrimination in the age of Covid-19, and taking ‘big’ knowledge down to lower levels for accessibility and exposure to the history of Islam before one pursues a college education. He also suggested that a thematic approach to teaching history can be a helpful way to contextualize the Golden Age of Islam. Both Qarni and Ahmed have seen in their work that students have genuine enthusiasm when it comes to learning about Islam, with Ahmed observing: “I can’t change Islamophobia, but my students can.”
While there are still people that push back against greater Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts in public schools, Ambassador Ahmed’s closing remarks at this event summarized so eloquently the importance of his book and of the work being done by those in leadership positions like Qarni. “It is important for us to understand that people in this country are making attempts to build bridges, to create understanding, and to appreciate the efforts that we are putting into this endeavor,” said Ahmed, “because ultimately, we all live in this great country and we all want what’s best for it, and we want to see it thrive and grow and really continue to take its rightful place on the world stage.”
Personally, I am proud to have received a Virginia public school education, and still recall some of the information we learned about valuable achievements pioneered by Muslims, during the Golden Age of Islam. While imperfect, I feel that my education disrupted stereotypes about the Muslim world and included information about the notable accomplishments of Muslim scholars and societies. The social sciences have always been a passion of mine, and so learning about the Golden Age of Islam in my world history classes in high school has given me a greater perspective about the historical importance of Muslim communities.
What The Flying Man captures, in particular, are these stories of great collaboration between scholars of different faiths, a tradition that this book encourages its readers to continue. Ambassador Ahmed always emphasizes the importance and great cultural value of “ilm” or knowledge, to his students. Education, especially about misunderstood communities is essential to creating a world in which religious tolerance is the status quo. I have seen firsthand that the main goal of Ambassador Ahmed’s work in education is to nurture scholarship in younger generations that will change the state of Islamophobia globally and improve the lived experiences of Muslims using both facts and friendship, education, and empathy.
He has identified three major crises faced by the world: the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and ethnic and religious conflict, all of which pose an “existentialist threat to common humanity.” As a young scholar and student of his compassionate teachings, it is my duty to take the torch he bears, and continue to educate myself and others on these issues so that I can help to solve them
