Advantages of Islamic Rule and Reflections on Historical Governance Systems

Instructions:

Part 1: Answer the following question:

Maddison discusses Islam in Africa; he also gives a brief background of Islam. He discusses the differences between those under Islamic rule and those under Roman Rule. Discuss two of the advantages of being ruled by Muslims.

(This is considered to be a scholarly discussion. Unlike social media, it is good practice to include some form of reference to the sources of information because it strengthens the argument, but it is not required. You are also welcome to reference resources other than the course textbook.)

Part 2: Respond to the 3 following classmates. Note that they could have had a question that included a different topic than the one you were given. 

(Try to select particular points, or examples and discuss them further. It is also appropriate for you to provide your reflections, opinions, additional examples and information.)

Student 1 (K)

One huge advantage of living under Muslin Rule at the time was the priority of trade. The stretch of the Muslim empire from India to Spain and from Turkey into Africa establishes a huge swath of land that was under Muslim rule. A pillar of Islam, the pilgrimage to Mecca, made this trading of products through the Muslim empires almost necessary. The goal of making it to Mecca was based on one’s ability to afford it. All Muslims would work toward this goal themselves as well as helping fellow Muslims work toward this goal.

It is interesting, with the priority on trade, the Ottoman Empire was slow to accept printing as a method of spreading books though their empire. In some ways it would make sense to keep a tradition of copying the word of Muhammad by hand. Knowing that there was a push for literacy for young men in the Islamic world it would also make sense to use a tool to print the Koran quickly and in larger quantities.

Another advantage of living under Muslim rulership is the ability to keep one’s culture. Although Jews and Christians were taxed more than followers of Islam they were still accepted under Muslim rulership. The Muslim rule extended over a large area of land as stated above. This included vastly different culture groups. The lives of Africans looked different from the lives of people from east Asia but falling under the same rule meant the empire was accepting of these differences.

Without this acceptance of cultural differences, it is easy to see the worst possible scenario for the empire. One of the reasons for the fall of Rome could be the size of it. I do think, however, size is only an issue if the people that are being ruled disapprove of their rulers. By accepting vastly different cultures and religions while actively supporting trade it is no wonder the empire got as large as it did and lasted for 500 years.

Maddison, Angus. Contours of the World Economy 1-2030 AD: Essays in Macro-Economic History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2007.

Student 2 (E):

There were many advantages to Islamic rule, as outlined by Maddison (2007), but the two that stood out most to me were the increased quality of intellectual life and community/family life.

According to Maddison (2007), early caliphs supported secular learning by creating libraries, observatories, and a house of wisdom, in Baghdad, where they invited scholars, financed translations of Greek and Indian works on numerous topics like astronomy and trigonometry, and even hired calligraphers who could disseminate the work in book form. The Romans expressed far less enthusiasm and respect for secular knowledge than Muslim leaders, which was made obvious during their takeover of Alexandria in 30BC, where they cause serious damage to the Library of Alexandria. Lastly, the diffusion of knowledge in Africa under Islamic rule was more effective due to the use Arabic as the lingua franca and freedom of transit which allowed for more interaction through migratory movements.

The Islamic legal system was primary centered around the Koran, which provided guidance on practical matters. I wouldn’t typically agree with basing a legal system around a religious document, however, back then it provided commonality and allowed for appointed judges to use the wisdom of the Koran to settle disputes between members of their community. According to Maddison (2007) the Romans had no legal constraint or taboo regarding infanticide and child abandonment. According to Giladi (1990), this practice was used as a form of population control and to eliminate “defectives” and “illegitimates”. This practice was completely rejected by the prophet Muhammad and explicitly prohibited in the Koran, making it forbidden under Islamic rule. Finally, Islam was tolerant of other religions, which allowed individuals and communities to have more religious freedom than under Roman rule (although they were still more heavily taxed than Muslims).

-E.

Giladi, A. (1990). Some Observations on Infanticide in Medieval Muslim Society. International Journal of Middle East Studies, 22(2), 185–200. http://www.jstor.org/stable/163739

Maddison, Angus. Contours of the World Economy 1-2030 AD : Essays in Macro-Economic History, Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2007. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/apus/detail.action?docID=415201.

Student 3 (Ka.):

Hello Class and Professor!

I chose to answer the third question listed above for this week’s discussion.

#3- Based on Locke’s ideology and based on your knowledge of the Declaration of Independence, how much influence does Locke have on Jefferson’s writing? Explain and give Examples.

John Locke was a classic republican and political philosopher. His idea was that government only should exist if it is to protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Locke also believed that every man has natural rights to challenge who is in power in order to protect those specific needs. John Locke believed that every person who governs, must be elected by society and the individuals in which the rules and commands, it affects. Locke wrote two treatises of government and a lot of the passages, if you read and compare to the Declaration of Independence are hand-in-hand.

I believe that Thomas Jefferson was influenced heavily by John Locke’s point of view and beliefs. One example of this is Jefferson used verbatim “…Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness..” If that is not influence on his way of thinking, then I am not sure what is. 

-Ka.