Visiting Greece now as a Muslim – I was nervous and excited

 By Stefanie Danopoulos, 28 years old

The last summer I visited Greece was in 1999. That time I was already reading about Islam and did a lot of thinking. When I came back to Holland I decided to convert to Islam. And after a few months I started to wear the veil, hijab.

I lost contact with my family for almost two years. When I had my first child the contact slowly became better.

My parents always told me that it was not possible to go back to Greece with my hijab. And my biggest problem was that I don’t speak Greek.

My father is from Greece (Korinthos) and my mother is from Holland. I was born and raised in Holland but we traveled to Greece every year in the summer. I think that it is really important that you can explain to the people in their language why you dress that way.

A few months ago we had a conference in Holland and then I met Anna, a Greek Muslim sister. I was so happy and I even took her to my mother’s house to show her that there are Muslims in Greece. My mother was very surprised.

A few months later, they had a meeting in Greece for the Muslims Association of Greece. My parents and sisters were all in Greece and Anna told me that I had to come. And I told my parents I had plans to come and they said that I was welcome. So I booked my ticket and finally after 11 years I came back to Greece.

I was very nervous but also very excited.

The first two days I spent at the conference in Athens meeting other Greek Muslims, alhamdulillah! I had a very nice time.

And I thought that everybody would look at me in a bad way but they did not even care. 

Then I met my family in Ancient Korinthos. I was very, very nervous about the reactions. When I arrived some friends of my parents were waiting for me. They were very happy to see me and one friend of my father asked if I came from dancing because of my clothes. So my mother told him that it is a new fashion. I spoke to some relatives and nobody said crazy things.

I noticed that most of them speak English, so thank God, that was very nice. I didn’t really have the chance to tell them something about Islam because I was there only one day and my parents wanted to show me everything. They were so happy that I came.

I had a great time. And, God willing, next year I will go back to Greece with my husband and kids.

I spent my last day in the island of Andros. It was very beautiful and I even swam in the sea.  Also the people there were very nice and I did not feel left out or something.

In Holland, people look at you in a different way, but I think that it is because of the negative media attention. So most people in Holland see Islam in a bad way and they feel threatened by veils and beards and long dresses. In Greece I felt very relaxed.

I had a great experience and I will go back again for holiday, God willing!

Χωρίς φαΐ και χωρίς νερό στο κέντρο της Ηλιούπολης

 Πηγή:  Vima Newspaper

Oδός Αρκαδίου. Ενας μικρός δρόμος στην Ηλιούπολη. Σχεδόν στην αρχή του μια συνηθισμένη διώροφη κατοικία, ανάμεσα σε άλλες μονοκατοικίες. Τίποτε ψηλότερο από τρεις ορόφους. Ολα θυμίζουν μια κλασική γειτονιά της Αθήνας, από αυτές που δεν έχουν φθάσει ο θόρυβος και η… ανάπτυξη. Κάτι, παρ΄ όλα αυτά, έχει αλλάξει. Λίγο πριν δύσει ο ήλιος… Στην εξώπορτα του διαμερίσματος του πρώτου ορόφου αραδιασμένα παπούτσια στη σειρά, ανδρικά, γυναικεία, παιδικά. Το σπίτι είναι μουσουλμανικό. Και χθες για τους μουσουλμάνους ήταν μεγάλη ημέρα. Η πρώτη ημέρα του Ραμαζανιού, της μεγάλης νηστείας των μουσουλμάνων, που αρχίζει την πρώτη ημέρα του νέου σεληνιακού έτους και διαρκεί 30 ημέρες. Ούτε φαΐ ούτε νερό ούτε καν τσιγάρο και τσίχλα δεν πρέπει να μπει στο στόμα τους όσο ο ήλιος βρίσκεται στον ουρανό. Μετά η οικογένεια θα προσευχηθεί και θα καθήσει στο τραπέζι- άλλοτε και όλοι μαζί οι πιστοί στο τζαμί- για φαγητό. Αλλά μόνον αφού δύσει ο ήλιος… «Το θέμα είναι να καταλάβεις εκείνες τις ημέρες ότι κάτι σου λείπει, κάτι στερείσαι, να έχει δηλαδή η νηστεία ουσία» εξηγεί ο κ. Ναΐμ Ελγαντούρ , πρόεδρος της Μουσουλμανικής Ενωσης Ελλάδας, που, όπως οι περισσότεροι μουσουλμάνοι, πέρασε το πρώτο βράδυ της εξαντλητικής νηστείας στο σπίτι για να καθήσει στο τραπέζι με την οικογένεια και τους στενούς φίλους του. Λίγο μετά τις 8 βρίσκονταν όλοι στο σπίτι, ο Ναΐμ, η γυναίκα του, τα δυο τους παιδιά, ο αντιπρόεδρος της Ενωσης, κ. Μάζεν Ρασσά, και ο ιμάμης. Στις 8.30 ακριβώς χτύπησε το ρολόι, που βρίσκεται στη βιβλιοθήκη του σαλονιού. Είναι ρυθμισμένο να χτυπά πέντε φορές την ημέρα υπενθυμίζοντας τις ώρες της προσευχής, αφού εδώ δεν υπάρχει ούτε μιναρές ούτε μουεζίνης για να καλέσει τους πιστούς. Στο σπίτι κατά τα μουσουλμανικά ήθη υπεύθυνος να κατευθύνει την προσευχή είναι ο οικοδεσπότης, και μόνον εάν δώσει την άδειά του μπορεί να αναλάβει ο ιμάμης. Η ώρα για το φαγητό έχει φθάσει. Ενα ποτηράκι γάλα με χουρμάδες είναι το πρώτο βήμα, που δείχνει ότι η νηστεία έχει ολοκληρώσει τον ημερήσιο κύκλο της. Από εκεί και πέρα δεν υπάρχει περιορισμός στο διαιτολόγιο και στα πιάτα που σερβίρονται, εκτός βέβαια από τη… γενική απαγόρευση κατανάλωσης χοιρινού κρέατος. Στο τραπέζι του Ναΐμ σερβιρίστηκε σούπα φτιαγμένη από ζωμό μοσχαριού, με κρέας και πατάτες, πιάτο που συνήθως τρώγεται πρώτο για να μαλακώσει το στομάχι από την ολοήμερη αποχή από το φαγητό. Υστερα το τραπέζι γεμίζει πιάτα. Παστίτσιο, «ψεύτικο», όπως το λένε, καθώς δεν υπάρχει κιμάς, ρύζι μαγειρεμένο με ανατολίτικη συνταγή, μοσχάρι με ντομάτα, πατάτες και κρεμμύδια στον φούρνο, και κάθε είδους μεζές.

«Δεν νηστεύεις μόνο στα υλικά πράγματα» εξηγεί η σύζυγος του Ναΐμ, κυρία Αννα Στάμου. «Νηστεύεις και στις άσχημες εκφράσεις και στις άσχημες πράξεις. Και πρέπει να ξέρει ο κόσμος ότι η νηστεία του Ραμαζανιού κάνει καλό και στην υγεία, κι αυτό είναι ιατρικά αποδεδειγμένο. Ο οργανισμός αποτοξινώνεται. Τις πρώτες ημέρες βέβαια αισθανόμαστε καταβεβλημένοι, μετά όμως, όταν το συνηθίζουμε, έχουμε πολλή ενέργεια μέσα μας. Βλέπεις ανθρώπους μουσουλμάνους να πηγαίνουν κανονικά στη δουλειά τους και μετά να πηγαίνουν για ποδόσφαιρο ή οτιδήποτε».

Κ αι όλα αυτά, χωρίς καν νερό στη διάρκεια της ημέρας. «Φανταστείτε ότι στις χώρες μας έχει πολύ περισσότερη ζέστη, και παρ΄ όλα αυτά τηρούν τη νηστεία. Σίγουρα είναι δύσκολα αλλά, αφού είμαστε υποχρεωμένοι, πρέπει να το κάνουμε» τονίζει ο κ. Ρασσά ομολογώντας: «Είναι μια δοκιμασία». Και δεν είναι η μόνη. Μετά το βραδινό φαγητό ακολουθεί πάντα η τελευταία προσευχή της ημέρας. Αλλά την περίοδο του Ραμαζανιού προστίθεται ακόμη μια προσευχή, που κρατά μάλιστα μία ολόκληρη ώρα. Αυτή δεν γίνεται ποτέ κατ΄ οίκον. Ολοι οι μουσουλμάνοι μαζεύονται σε έναν τόπο προσευχής για να την κάνουν. Στην Αθήνα ως σήμερα τζαμί δεν υπάρχει, οπότε οι μουσουλμάνοι του κέντρου συγκεντρώθηκαν προχθές τη νύχτα, όπως πάντα τέτοια ημέρα, στο γκαράζ που έχει νοικιάσει ο κ. Ρασσά στον Νέο Κόσμο.

Το ρολόι που σημαίνει τις ώρες της προσευχής δεν μετρά και τον κύκλο της Σελήνης. Αν συνέβαινε αυτό θα αφαιρούσε περίπου 600 χρόνια από το σήμερα, καθώς ειδικά στο θέμα της νηστείας οι μουσουλμάνοι ακολουθούν τη σεληνιακή μέτρηση του έτους. Ετσι στον δικό τους χωροχρόνο της θρησκευτικής ζωής διανύεται το έτος 1430. Το Ραμαζάνι συμπίπτει και εορτάζεται στην αρχή κάθε σεληνιακού έτους. Γι΄ αυτό και με βάση το χριστιανικό ημερολόγιο έρχεται κάθε χρόνο δέκα ημέρες νωρίτερα. Η νηστεία διαρκεί έναν μήνα, κάθε ημέρα, από την ανατολή έως και τη δύση του ηλίου. Και, όπως λένε οι μουσουλμάνοι, το πρότυπο της νηστείας ακολουθεί πιστά τις επιταγές του προφήτη Μωάμεθ.

Προσευχή σε αυτοσχέδιο τζαμί

 

Η καθιερωμένη προσευχή πριν από το βραδινό γεύμα με πρώτο τον οικοδεσπότη Ναΐμ Ελγαντούρ Ο κ. Ελγαντούρείναι επιχειρηματίας και ζει στην Ελλάδα από το 1972. Αιγύπτιος παντρεμένος με Ελληνίδα, ζουν με τα δυο τους παιδιά στην Ηλιούπολη και χθες, πρώτη ημέρα του Ραμαζανιού, ήθελε να φάνε στο σπίτι οικογενειακώς. Στο αυτοσχέδιο τζαμί (ένα γκαράζ στον Νέο Κόσμο) για να συναντήσουν τους φίλους τους, τους άλλους πιστούς μουσουλμάνους και να προσευχηθούν όλοι μαζί, όπως πάντα τέτοια ημέρα, πήγαν μετά.

Οταν πρωτοήρθε στη χώρα ο κ. Ελγαντούρ δούλεψε ως ναυτικός, αργότερα άνοιξε δικό του αραβικό εστιατόριο και σήμερα ασχολείται με το εμπόριο θαλασσινών. «Στο Πορτ Σάιντ,στην πόλη όπου έμενα στην Αίγυπτο,είχαμε πολλούς Ελληνες.Είχα έρθει σε επαφή μαζί τους, τους είχα συμπαθήσει ως λαό. Οταν, λοιπόν, μου δόθηκε η δυνατότητα να φύγω προτίμησα την Ελλάδα.Θα μπορούσα να είχα πάει στην Αμερική, στην Αγγλία, οπουδήποτε αλλού» λέει σήμερα. Τώρα πια έχει έναν ακόμη λόγο που δεν μετάνιωσε για την επιλογή του.

Η γυναίκα του, η κυρία Στάμου, είναι Ελληνίδατη γνώρισε όταν ήρθε στη χώρα μας. Ασπάστηκε μάλιστα το Ισλάμ δύο χρόνια αφότου παντρεύτηκε τον Ναΐμ. «Μελετούσα τις θρησκείες προτού γνωρίσω τον Ναΐμ,όχι επειδή το σπούδαζα,αλλά επειδή μου άρεσε. Ηξερα ότι κάποια στιγμή θα κατέληγα μουσουλμάνα» λέει προσθέτοντας ότι είναι δασκάλα της γιόγκα, επάγγελμα που πλέον δεν εξασκεί λόγω των οικογενειακών υποχρεώσεων, της ανατροφής των δύο μικρών παιδιών που έχουν με τον Ναΐμ, του Ισμαήλ και της Ιμάν. Παράλληλα ασχολείται κι αυτή ενεργά με την Ενωση, συμμετέχει μάλιστα και στο Διοικητικό της Συμβούλιο, υπεύθυνη για τα θέματα μάρκετινγκ.

 

Mirror, mirror on the wall…

“Mirror, Mirror On The Wall…”

11 Other-than-Dieting ways to look and feel beautiful

I’m listening to this lecture above and it’s rather unique.  You think it would be about dieting but the shaikh brings up ahadith that are rarely known to the masses but wise about looking beautiful.  He also backs up the tips with practical tools and advice on how to look and feel beautiful.  And no, this is not just for people who are looking to get married but also for after the marriage.

Here are two ahadith about your hair.  Have you heard of them?

 

Allah’s messenger (saws) said,

“Never come with your hair and beard disheveled like a devil.”

(Sunan Al-Tirmidhi)

 

Allah’s messenger (saws) said,

“Whoever has hair should honour it.”

(Sunan Abu-Dawood)

 

How many brothers do we see with long straggly beards without proper maintenance?   Ok, just to be fair, I have seen some brothers that do a good job.

I’m not sure how long they will keep the audio on this site so go ahead and check it out before it’s too late.

Audio

———–

Note:     photo credit: YasooYamoo.com

 

Συγκλονιστική η μαρτυρία του δημοσιογράφου που μετείχε στην αποστολή

Source:  Skai.gr

“Συγκλονιστική η μαρτυρία του δημοσιογράφου του ΣΚΑΪ Άρη Χατζηστεφάνου που μετείχε στην αποστολή, για την αγριότητα των ισραηλινών δυνάμεων κατά τη διάρκεια της κράτησης και ανάκρισης των ακτιβιστών.”

 “The shocking testimony of SKAI journalist  Ari Hadjistefanou participant in the mission [Ship to Gaza], the brutality of the Israeli forces during detention and questioning of activists.”

 

Mosque designed by Greeks

I was told that the Bin Madiya Mosque in Al Nasser Square in Dubai is built by a Greek architect firm, www.meletitiki.gr.  Although it was built in 1990, its style is contemporary and different from the classical design you would normally think of. 

Actually, that’s why I like it.  It’s pretty cool.

 

 

Photos are taken from www.meletitiki.gr.

 

Green light for mosque in Athens

Source: Ethnos

© Translation: Muslim Association of Greece

Διαβάστε στα Ελληνικά

Fifteen days before the arrival of the Turkish Prime Minister T. Erdogan in Athens, the Greek parliament hasted yesterday to announce the “direct building of the Mosque in Athens” officially, an issue that Mr. Erdogan has, repeatedly and systematically, raised in the past years, claiming the role of “protector” of all Muslims who reside and work in Greece. 

This hasty announcement of the parliament raises many questions, since, though correct at its base, creates negative impressions regarding the time chosen for the announcement of the building of the mosque, since it will be regarded as pleasing the firm demand of Mr. Erdogan which he raised systematically without any legalization.

The Islamic temple will be built in Votanikos, though, as it seems, without the traditional tall minaret.

The Minister of Education, Anna Diamandopoulou, made the relative announcement yesterday, during the Cabinet.  While in an announcement by the government spokesman Giorgos Petalotis, it is noted that the building will be immediate, the mosque will have a capacity of approximately 500 individuals, it will be built on part of the land where the Navy Fort is, in a way that it will be organically integrated into a wider green environment.

Also, a seven-member board is being appointed, of whom, two are proposed by recognized, reputable Muslim societies, while five are Greek civil servants.

Asked by “Ethnos” about the developments and mainly the fact that the mosque would not have a minaret, the president of the Muslim Association of Greece, Mr. Naim Elghandour, said, “We said from the beginning that we do not want to get in dissociation with the Church and we told them that the mosque will not be alienated from the local architecture. Actually, in our discussions with the relevant bodies, we showed them pictures from the Mosque in Granada which resembles the architecture of Christian churches.”

Paraskevi Vonatsou

Translated by Amir Arvanitis

April 24/25: Egypt in Athens Festival

PRESS RELEASE

Διαβάστε στα Ελληνικά

We are very pleased to invite you to the ‘Egypt in Athens’ festival organised by the Intercultural Centre of Immigration Service of the municipality of Athens in cooperation with the Muslim Association of Greece with the support of the Cultural Centre of the Egyptian Embassy in Athens.

The festival will be held in the amphitheatre of the radio station Athens 9.84, Peiraios 100 in Gazi on Saturday 24 April 2010.

The festival is under the auspices of the Cultural Centre of Egypt, the Embassy of Egypt and the Egyptian Community in Athens.

During the events, the visitors will have the opportunity to taste the Egyptian culture and in particular discover the common elements between Greece and Egypt. The festival includes three parts: information, art and children.

In the morning during the informative session of the festival, the visitors will have the opportunity to attend a conference with the subject of Egyptian folklore, literature and the coexistence of the Hellenic and Egyptian community with guest speakers. Also a documentary of ERT with the title Egypt of Greeks in the Area of History will be shown.

The afternoon’s artistic events will begin with the projection of the film The Yacoubian Building of Marouan Hamendi.  The chef Aymal El Habachy will demonstrate live Egyptian delicatessens.  There will be a concert featuring the traditional Arab music with of the Al Mahabba band.

Reception will follow.

 

On the 24^th and 25^th of April there will be a children’s area

In the Shadow Theatre Museum Haridimos (Melina Cultural Centre of the municipality of Athens), Iraklidon 66 and Thessalonikis, Thiseio hours 14.00-17.00.  During the two days, spectators of all ages will have the opportunity to learn the secrets of shadow theatre figures, to watch two  performances, Karagiozis in the Amusement Park and Karagiozis Baker, by the group of S. Haradimou, learn about the traditional Egyptian puppet and Aragoz and to watch two original puppet performances by Egyptian artists Nabil Mohamed Bahgat, Moustafa Osman Moustafa Osman and Aly Abu Zeid Souleiman, a courtesy of the Ministry of Culture of Egypt in cooperation with the Cultural Centre of the Egyptian Embassy in Athens.

The entry for the public is free

As supporters are involved, the Cultural Organization of the Municipality of Athens, ΄Technopolis΄ of the municipality of Athens. Communication sponsors include the radio station Athens 9,84 and the foreign language radio station of the municipality of Athens Air 104.4 FM which broadcasts in 16 languages.

For more information please contact the Intercultural Centre of Immigration Service of the Municipality of Athens at 210-5225284.

The right to dress – does it suit your eye?

The ban on the niqab violates my human rights.

People talk about rights as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and how important they are for all of us, or at least for some.

So… you can ask me a simple question, fair enough that is right we all have the right to express, dress and behave the way we like or aspire. But where do we get inspired from?

Every year in the UK there is a festival called Infest. Alternative electronic music fans get together once a year for couple of days to celebrate their music choice. The first time I saw them I thought they were freaks, but no they were normal everyday people dressed the way they wanted to express their own choice. In many cases they were executives in major international corporations. I used to have a friend – she was punk.  People were staring at her while she was walking but she couldn’t care less. It was her choice and no one could ever judge her for that. It was her right and nobody banned it.

Society is built on a base of differences, but who defines the differences we have and the acceptance we get from our fellow man?

A few years ago I used to dress with miniskirts and ’sexy’ tops. Sometimes I got looks of admiration, sometimes looks of disgust and many more looks were judgmental. By dressing ’sexy’, and sexy can be defined in many different ways, you are perceived as easy or with low morals.

Now I have chosen to dress modest and to wear a scarf. It is my choice, but yet again I’m perceived to be oppressed.

Why? Simply because of the way I dress. So what defines how I can dress?

Clothes are a way of expressing ourselves, how we feel and what we believe. How we would like people to deal with us. Our clothes are the first impression we give to people and the boundaries we set between us and them.  For me, simply, it’s a right. But why then does society or politicians have to choose for me and forbid me to express myself in the way Ι find most appropriate for me?

Wearing hijab, niqab or abaya (a dress) is a choice of a woman – not oppression. Oppression is when you forbid a woman to wear what she feels like just because it doesn’t suit your eye. So where is my human right…?

 

 
photo credit: Sylvain Labeste

Elena, the Muslim, the mosque and cemetery

Source:  Protagon.gr

© Translation: Muslim Association of Greece

Διαβάστε στα Eλληνικά

I have never met Elena in person. We have been talking on the phone for the past two months. She has a bright smile, nice voice and is very polite. She is 23 years old studying Business in England. The only thing I knew about her is that she was wearing hijab. She started learning about Islam from stubbornness. She wanted to prove to her colleagues at university that they were wrong.  She studied the Quran quickly to gain more arguments against it, but that made her change her own beliefs and religion.

The last emails we exchanged were regarding the French ban of religion symbols. Elena wanted to point out two things regarding that, the cemeteries and the worship places. I am copying what she wrote to me.

“Greece is the only European country that does not have a cemetery and a mosque.  I am a Greek citizen and I pay tax as every other citizen in the country, I obey its laws, I defend its rights when they are correct. What hurts me is the behaviour of the reliable people regarding that matter. What we are asking for is to praise God in its place, to marry and die next to our families as every other human being on that planet.”

 ”The Muslims in Greece are a minority but not only in Thrace, the northern part of Greece, but also in Athens where they are almost 700.000 Muslims working and living. But except the everyday problems they have to deal with, they also have to consider what will happen with their bodies when they will die. And this is because in the European Athens today there is no cemetery, a basic need for a human being and especially a Muslim. And this is because in the Islamic tradition the body must be buried no more than 24 hours after death and under some conditions. Something that Muslims in Athens today cannot even think or dream of. Nowadays the bodies are sent to Thrace or to the country of origin, if that is possible.  What happens though with the many Greek Muslims or with the second generation children that do not know any other country except Greece? Don’t they have that ‘luxury’ or they are excluded from the life circle.”

Muslim inventions that shaped the modern world

Source: CNN

 

London, England (CNN) — Think of the origins of that staple of modern life, the cup of coffee, and Italy often springs to mind.

But in fact, Yemen is where the ubiquitous brew has its true origins.

Along with the first university, and even the toothbrush, it is among surprising Muslim inventions that have shaped the world we live in today.

The origins of these fundamental ideas and objects — the basis of everything from the bicycle to musical scales — are the focus of “1001 Inventions,” a book celebrating “the forgotten” history of 1,000 years of Muslim heritage.

“There’s a hole in our knowledge, we leap frog from the Renaissance to the Greeks,” professor Salim al-Hassani, Chairman of the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation, and editor of the book told CNN.

“1001 Inventions” is now an exhibition at London’s Science Museum. Hassani hopes the exhibition will highlight the contributions of non-Western cultures — like the Muslim empire that once covered Spain and Portugal, Southern Italy and stretched as far as parts of China — to present day civilization.

Hospitals as we know them today, with wards and teaching centers, come from 9th century Egypt

Here Hassani shares his top 10 outstanding Muslim inventions:

1. Surgery

Around the year 1,000, the celebrated doctor Al Zahrawi published a 1,500 page illustrated encyclopedia of surgery that was used in Europe as a medical reference for the next 500 years. Among his many inventions, Zahrawi discovered the use of dissolving cat gut to stitch wounds — beforehand a second surgery had to be performed to remove sutures. He also reportedly performed the first caesarean operation and created the first pair of forceps.

2. Coffee

Now the Western world’s drink du jour, coffee was first brewed in Yemen around the 9th century. In its earliest days, coffee helped Sufis stay up during late nights of devotion. Later brought to Cairo by a group of students, the coffee buzz soon caught on around the empire. By the 13th century it reached Turkey, but not until the 16th century did the beans start boiling in Europe, brought to Italy by a Venetian trader.

3. Flying machine

“Abbas ibn Firnas was the first person to make a real attempt to construct a flying machine and fly,” said Hassani. In the 9th century he designed a winged apparatus, roughly resembling a bird costume. In his most famous trial near Cordoba in Spain, Firnas flew upward for a few moments, before falling to the ground and partially breaking his back. His designs would undoubtedly have been an inspiration for famed Italian artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci’s hundreds of years later, said Hassani.

4. University

In 859 a young princess named Fatima al-Firhi founded the first degree-granting university in Fez, Morocco. Her sister Miriam founded an adjacent mosque and together the complex became the al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and University. Still operating almost 1,200 years later, Hassani says he hopes the center will remind people that learning is at the core of the Islamic tradition and that the story of the al-Firhi sisters will inspire young Muslim women around the world today.

5. Algebra

The word algebra comes from the title of a Persian mathematician’s famous 9th century treatise “Kitab al-Jabr Wa l-Mugabala” which translates roughly as “The Book of Reasoning and Balancing.” Built on the roots of Greek and Hindu systems, the new algebraic order was a unifying system for rational numbers, irrational numbers and geometrical magnitudes. The same mathematician, Al-Khwarizmi, was also the first to introduce the concept of raising a number to a power.

6. Optics

“Many of the most important advances in the study of optics come from the Muslim world,” says Hassani. Around the year 1000 Ibn al-Haitham proved that humans see objects by light reflecting off of them and entering the eye, dismissing Euclid and Ptolemy’s theories that light was emitted from the eye itself. This great Muslim physicist also discovered the camera obscura phenomenon, which explains how the eye sees images upright due to the connection between the optic nerve and the brain.

7. Music

Muslim musicians have had a profound impact on Europe, dating back to Charlemagne tried to compete with the music of Baghdad and Cordoba, according to Hassani. Among many instruments that arrived in Europe through the Middle East are the lute and the rahab, an ancestor of the violin. Modern musical scales are also said to derive from the Arabic alphabet.

8. Toothbrush

According to Hassani, the Prophet Mohammed popularized the use of the first toothbrush in around 600. Using a twig from the Meswak tree, he cleaned his teeth and freshened his breath. Substances similar to Meswak are used in modern toothpaste.

9. The crank

Many of the basics of modern automatics were first put to use in the Muslim world, including the revolutionary crank-connecting rod system. By converting rotary motion to linear motion, the crank enables the lifting of heavy objects with relative ease. This technology, discovered by Al-Jazari in the 12th century, exploded across the globe, leading to everything from the bicycle to the internal combustion engine.

10. Hospitals

“Hospitals as we know them today, with wards and teaching centers, come from 9th century Egypt,” explained Hassani. The first such medical center was the Ahmad ibn Tulun Hospital, founded in 872 in Cairo. Tulun hospital provided free care for anyone who needed it — a policy based on the Muslim tradition of caring for all who are sick. From Cairo, such hospitals spread around the Muslim world.

For more information on muslim inventions go to: muslimheritage.com. For more information about the exhibition at London’s Science Museum go to: science museum.org.uk

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