Bernard Lewis Credits Bush on Iraq by Joseph Puder

"At 91, Bernard Lewis, the doyen of Middle Eastern Studies who for more than half a century has been considered one of the West's foremost scholars of Islamic history and culture, is the author of more than two dozen books, most notably The Arabs in History, The Emergence of Modern Turkey, The Political Language of Islam, and The Muslim Discovery of Europe and is the subject of envy because of his remarkably lucid mind and memory. Both qualities were on display on Wednesday evening, May 2, 2007 when he addressed an overflow audience in the ballroom of the Loew’s Philadelphia Hotel. The program, sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, charged the masterful Professor Emeritus of Princeton University to lecture on the subject of Europe and Islam.
Professor Lewis, who was recently awarded the Ataturk Peace Award from the Turkish government, began his presentation by illustrating the similarities and differences between Europe and Islam. Europe, he said, defined itself as a civilization known as Christendom, in spite of its current post-Christian self-perception. Islam and Christianity share a prominent feature - triumphalism. Both Christianity and Islam believe that they are the sole recipients of G-d’s latest word. Conversely Jews believe in individual salvation through righteousness."

Full Article...

Sphere: Related Content