As part of efforts to transform Abu Dhabi into the cultural lodestone of the Middle East and expand libraries there, the emirate’s Authority for Culture and Heritage has chosen the first 100 books to be translated into Arabic under a new program.
Among them are Alan Greenspan’s memoir, “The Age of Turbulence,” John Maynard Keynes’s “General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money,” and Milton Friedman’s “Capitalism and Freedom.” The goal is to translate 100 titles every year.
The authority, known as Adach, has formed a nonprofit organization called Kalima, which is Arabic for “word,” to undertake the translations and expand Arabic-language publishing in the United Arab Emirates…
The first 100 titles draw from history, science and fiction; Kalima is still securing the rights to most of them. More than half were originally written in English, and they include a Pulitzer Prize winner, “The Looming Tower” by Lawrence Wright, which examines the origins of Al Qaeda, as well as the best-seller, “The Kite Runner,” by Khaled Hosseini. Classics in the first group of books to be translated include Milton’s “Paradise Regained.” A number of works by Jewish writers are on the list, including “Collected Stories” by the Nobel Prize recipient Isaac Bashevis Singer…
“Good books are like penicillin,” said Jumaa Abdulla Alqubaisi. “They fight against hate, segregation and misunderstanding.”
Take a close look at any culture that bans books. What do they really want to protect?
I’m no history buff. But, if I remember correctly, Muslims kept much knowledge alive through the last Dark Age. Perhaps this is a sign that they will do so again in the coming one.
#1 If your prediction is true that’s damn nice of them because they are causing this one.
#2 GigG,
Somewhat true. Sometimes it does pay to look at multiple causes though. I was thinking of the attack on science by religion in this country as well.
Maybe they oughta start learning English now and get it over with.
2,
Ancient Arabia had a high respect for knowledge, and I believe the Prophet Himself stated that the ink of a scholar is holier than the blood of a martyr. The problem is that today’s Arab differs from those of earlier times in that technology has recently acquired a western taint, so it is rejected.
I wonder if they’re going to translate the complete works of PK Dick but would guess not.
“The authority, known as Adach, has formed a nonprofit organization called Kalima”
KALIMA!!! Kalima SHU-Ka-De!! .
Please don’t rip my heart out.
All educated Arabs speak excellent English. A translation into Arabic is an honor bestowed on a book, which may not necessarily make it easier to understand.
They may have preserved some of the knowledge in the West (Greece and west) from the filthy fanatics and book burners of early Christianity, but they destroyed a good bit of knowledge in the East when they invaded India, which was at the time far in advance of /any/ part of the West.
India may have been ahead of China at the time. Hard to say.
Misanthropic Scott said,
I’m no history buff. But, if I remember correctly, Muslims kept much knowledge alive through the last Dark Age. Perhaps this is a sign that they will do so again in the coming one.
Thank you for pointing this out. I’m not a Muslim but I find myself often defending them out of a desire to balance the absurd things said about them.
It seems clear that Islam was progressive — especially in its early centuries and compared to the other religions and cultures of the time.
However, Islam is in desperate need of reformation. Generally speaking, Muslims have a very fixed sense of knowledge believing that the Prophet and his writings are the sum of all revelation from which all truth springs from. This, of course, makes if very painful for them to adjust their beliefs to modern realities.
Certainly, there are liberals and moderate Muslims who have a more modern world view but, in my personal observation, most Muslims are very conservative and this is what’s holding back the culture.
The problem with Islam is not the religion but the fact that Muslims are overwhelmingly conservative.
And as we all have learned, conservatism is the root of most of our current conflicts.
# 9 Phillep
They may have preserved some of the knowledge in the West (Greece and west) from the filthy fanatics and book burners of early Christianity, but they destroyed a good bit of knowledge in the East when they invaded India,
Goodness I shouldn’t trust your history about Muslims but I have to ask — what are you talking about?
I’m not doubting you, exactly — there certainly was war in the rise of the Moghul era and I’m sure some knowledge was lost as collateral damage.
But I never heard of book burnings or intentional desctruction of knowledge. What’s clear, though, is that the Moghul era was a golden one for India. Even the Hindus I know generally feel that way.
#11, Greg,
Carefull. If you press Philleep he will invent some citation that can’t be proved. BUT he will try.
#12 correction.
I wasn’t very careful about spelling careful.
#10 – Greg,
Excellent point about conservatism. A conservative, or worse, a literal reading of any of the texts of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic religion (singular as always for me) is bound to cause fanaticism, intolerance, and probably violence. When people at least take the time to think and conform their religions to current moral zeitgeist, they become less virulent strains. But, still, the doors to tolerance do not open from the inside.
The Judeo-Christian-Islamic religion as a whole is inherently divisive and violent. All attempts to make it not so are bandaids on a gaping wound.
Further, the fantasy itself is obviously at odds with real knowledge. It’s probably best for everyone concerned to simply ditch religion as a whole. Unfortunately, the majority of the induhviduals of our species is still unwilling to do so. So, when I see any ray of hope coming from any flavor of this particular mythology, I at least like to bask in the remote possibility that perhaps things will get better, peoples’ minds will open, and religion will dwindle slightly as a result.
And then I wake up … sobbing.
Scott,
It isn’t just the conservative wings of the monotheistic religions — conservative Hinduism is also a radical, violent threat these days.
However, I’ll never agree with you that ditching religion altogether is some solution to mass violence. My own forefathers (and the women and children, too) were slaughtered and jailed by atheists in a tragic, horrific attempt to purge society of religion.
I don’t know a single atheist who will own up to that piece of history even though it certainly rates right up there with the Crusades for cruel bloodbaths.
That’s why I tend to defend Muslims when they are portrayed as ruthless killers. Yes, they too have a violent history but they have a long long way to go before they can beat us Christians in Europe and, especially, the atheists under Communism for sheer body count.
Mister Catpoop,
Phillep’s style is to throw zingers out there without any attempt, whatsoever, to back it up. When pressed, he usually changes the topic.
This is straight out of the right wing media.
I’m not saying they are always wrong but you have to sift through a lot of baseless crap to find where they are right.
Have you heard Sean Hannity do it? It’s tried-and-true for him.
Before the show, he writes a list of charges — some possibly true, some completely made up, the rest cynically twisted.
Then when he senses he’s losing a debate to a guest, he reads the list. The liberal can’t possibly respond to since they have no idea what he’s talking about and half of it is absurd crap, anyway.
This is a Fox “debate.”