Sacchi Lamb of the Hindu American Foundation charged in his letter to CNN: "Dear Editor, CNN's articleMuslim inventions that shaped the modern world, published January 29, presents ideas that clearly mislead its readers. The introductory statement that "the first university ... is among surprising Muslim inventions that have shaped the world we live in today' is not only misleading, but incorrect. An "invention' is defined as a "new composition, device, or process.' However, this university is far from being the "first' outright university. While the article later clarifies that the invention was granting of a degree, the initial inaccurate claim has already been made. This is insulting to ancient Greek, Chinese, Korean, and Indian civilizations all of whom had universities prior to 859 CE. The Hindu and Buddhist center of higher education in Takshila (Taxila) dates as far back as the 7th century BCE. There a student could effectively "major" in subjects such as literature, science, law, and medicine. The university in Fez, Morocco is hardly an "invention' in that respect."
NOTE: If I recall, the university (madrassa) in Fez was/is likely the oldest open school that did not require wealth from parents nor Confucian exams for entry. However, this, too might be an inaccurate claim on my part. In any case, it still might be the oldest functioning university--if not in the world, at least in Africa and the Middle East. The one in Fez was founded in 859. It is called the University of Qarawiyin.
Lamb continued, "Secondly, the "invention' of surgery by the Muslim doctor Al Zahwari is yet another example of misleading information, when in fact surgeries of many kinds were performed by several civilizations long before Al Zahwari. The Hindu textSushruta Samhita, written in 600 BCE, is filled with detailed seminal descriptions of surgical procedures and instruments that are conceptually used today. How, then, can CNN reliably credit Al Zahwari with this "invention'? If Al Zahwari's inventions were limited to dissolving cat gut stitches, c-sections, and forceps, then implying that the field of surgery was "invented' by Muslims is blatantly incorrect."
Finally, the speaker for Executive Council of the Hindu American Foundation concluded, "We request CNN to republish this article in a more forthright and accurate manner so as not to make false implications and thereby, diminish the contributions of various ancient civilizations. We also urge CNN to publish similar articles highlighting the contributions of ancient civilizations mentioned above."
Click here to go to the original CNN article--i.e."Muslim Inventions that Shaped the Modern World",
In the article, the author, Olivia Sterns is simply reviewing the claims of Hassani about the 10 most influential inventions of the Shining Era of Muslim Science, which had occurred during the West's Dark Ages. Hassani's favorites include surgery, coffee, hospitals, the mechanical crank for machines, algebra, and optics.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
