Media Crusades on Islam?

Until recently, the American media has largely presented Islam and Muslims in a very biased, distorted and misleading way. However, at least for a while, this trend was broken by Emmy Award winning director-producer Robert Gardner in his masterful production of Islam: Empire of Faith, premiered Tuesday (May 8, 2001) on PBS.

The two-and-a-half hour documentary was unlike any other you have ever seen. It is an amazing story of the rise of the Islamic faith and power, beginning with the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and covering the first thousand years of the Islamic Empire up to its peak during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent. Narrated by Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley (of Gandhi fame), the documentary is the first American primetime television program to address the history and culture of Islam.

The origins of Islam are introduced as the life of the Holy Prophet and the story of how his simple but revolutionary message changed the tide of history forever are told. The revelation and preservation of the Qur'an, the trials and tribulations of the Prophet (PBUH) and the early Muslims, their migration, and the establishment of the first community in Medina are documented in vivid detail.

It is recounted how, within the short span of 50 years, a movement that arose in an unknown quarter of the Arabian Desert challenged the great Persian and Byzantium empires, and went on to create an empire larger than Rome. Author Michael Sells' commentary on the revelation of the Qur'an and its message of unity of God is most interesting and compelling.

The program then describes the consolidation and further expansion of the faith, and its transformation into a civilization that was unparalleled in scope. Muslims, unlike the early Christians, did not shy away from scientific investigation. Instead, they collected scientific literature from all over the world and translated it into Arabic. They were not content with just accumulating material either, but they went a step further and laid down the foundations of modern science by introducing the scientific method.

The ingenuity of Muslim scientists is illustrated through several examples. Muslims were the first to build hospitals to be primarily run by religious endowments (awqaf). All types of diseases, including mental illnesses, were treated in these hospitals.

Muslims were also the first to surgically remove cataracts using a hollow needle. The work of Ibn Al Haytham, the father of optics, proved to be the precursor of the modern camera.

Astronomy was not neglected in the research of these early pioneers in the concept of the universe and how it worked. The notion of the earth being round and "floating in an orbit" was first conceived by verses in the Quran over 1,400 years ago. Space travel was directly referred to in chapter 55, verse 33 refering to emence power (sultan) to go outside of earth's atmosphere.

Trade also flourished during this time, with several novel methods being introduced. Both people and goods could move freely throughout the expansive empire, unhampered by fear or coercion. The sakk, the equivalent of the modern day check, was also introduced by Muslims, freeing travelers f rom carrying large sums of cash.

All of these achievements were, however, threatened by the arrival of the Crusaders who indulged in a brutal blood bath and the sacking of several Muslim cities - including Jerusalem, which was recaptured by Salahuddin Ayyubi. He didn't retaliate with the brutal force of the crusaders though; rather, he adopted a lenient attitude towards them. The commentary by Carol Hillenbrand, author of the recently released book Crusades: Muslim Perspectives, provides a deep insight into the times.

The Islamic empire was then struck by a second catastrophe, the Mongol invasion, during which many lives and a huge part of its intellectual heritage was lost. The same Mongols then converted to Islam, resulting in a dramatic transformation of the empire. Nomads from Central Asia who worked as mercenaries for the Mongols, held their own aspirations for power and went on to lay the foundations for the Ottoman Empire. Once in place, the Ottoman Empire extended its boundaries further west, reaching its pinnacle during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent who, true to his title, molded the Ottomans into a military powerhouse with a prosperous, refined and sophisticated empire.

After reaching the heights of his greatness, Suleyman fell prey to enemies from within - partly due to the machinations of his Slavic-born wife. The documentary reveals at this point the fac t that, contrary to popula r perceptions in the west, there was nothing immoral in the harem of the Sultans. It was, in fact, just a home for the king, his wife, and children.

Islam: Empire of Faith cost $1.5 million dollars and took three years to make, being shot in Iran, Tunisia, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Spain and Turkey. Instead of utilizing conventional documentary techniques that employ the use of pans and tilts of still pictures along with landscapes and interviews, Gardner used techniques that are usually reserved for big budget motion pictures. In order to create a sense of pre-photographic history, large-scale costumed reenactments as well as contemporary scenes of Islamic architecture and city life were used. Famed Iranian art director Majid Mirfakhraei assisted Gardner here with 300 colorful costumes, dozens of camels, horses, and armies of soldiers. Mirfakhraei also built a four-story replica of the Kaaba, as a well as an entire village and the ruins of Baghdad for the production.

While the reenactments in general succeeded in conveying an authentic sense of the times, one scene in particular was inaccurate. In a depiction of the announcement of the death of the Prophet (PBUH), men are shown dancing with swords to the beat of the drum and women are shown beating their heads and wailing. Anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of the Prophet's teachings would know that this kind of behavior is expressly prohibited in Islam, and it certainly was not the case following his death.

Fortunately, Gardner avoided controversy by agreeing to alter a 14th century imaginary painting of the Prophet after a request from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). The painting shows the Prophet helping to place the black stone at the Kaaba. Speaking to the Baltimore Sun on May 4th, Gardner said, "After talking to PBS and various scholars, what we agreed to was a small re-animation of one shot of a 14th century painting of Muhammad, so that you won't see his face. But you will still see the Prophet. Basically, we're just showing the image from a different angle"

Is this hypocricy or not? Muslims will criticize non-Muslims for using pictures of the Prophet while turning a blind eye when other Muslims themselves do it.
(Example, the Islamic Center of Beverly Hills, California recently published an imaginary drawing of the Prophet, yet no action has been taken against them).

Islam: Empire of Faith takes viewers on an extraordinary journey into the lost grandeur of the Islamic empire. You will see the humble beginnings of the Islamic faith in the Arabian desert, its spectacular spread within a short span of time, scientific achievements of Muslims that laid the foundations of modern science, and the first-ever cataract surgery. You'll take a peep into the great halls of Al Hambra, weep at the destruction of Islamic cities by the Crusaders and Mongols, and wonder at the magnificence of Suleyman.

Swooping camera movements with awe-inspiring architecture and rich colorful settings combined with expert commentary by top scholars from American Universities will keep you glued to your television for the entire program. Islam: Empire of Faith, a production inspired by love and made possible by considerable labor, will go a long way in dispelling the negative image of Islam in America and prove to be a genuine trend-setter in this regard.