WHEN WE RULED: ARABIC SCRIPT

“Note on the role of Islam in African Culture. “Dr. Leo Frobenius, the great German Africanist, was among the first to refute the notion that the civilizations of West Africa and the Central Sahara were of Arab inspiration (see page 362). Nevertheless, misconceptions continue to persist. What is less well known is that the Arabic script, used in many of these civilizations, was in fact of African origin. Ibn Khallikan, the great biographer of the Middle Ages, claimed that Abu Aswan, an African invented the Arabic script. Furthermore, the greatest literature of the Arabs was penned by Blacks including Luqman, Antar, Ibrahim Al-Mahdi, and the greatest intellect of them all, Al-Jahiz. On the genesis of Islam, one cannot overlook the outstanding contribution of Bilal, an Ethiopian, who was considered one third of the origin of that religion, where Al’lah was the first part, and Mahomet was the second. In addition , the Ka’aba of Mecca, the only substantial piece of early Islamic architecture in the entire Saudi Arabian region, was rebuilt in its present form by Ethiopian architects (see page 466). It should also be acknowledged that Christianity, like Islam, is also partly of African origin. Among those outstanding Africans who brought glory to the early church were Tertullian, Perpetua, St Cyprian, and the venerable St Augustine . “In conclusion, the presence of Christianity in early Europe , despite its non-European origins, does not de-Europeanise European historical achievements any more than the presence of Islam in early West and Central Africa de-Africanises African historical achievements.” P. 450, “The Central Sahara,” WHEN WE RULED (2006) by Robin Walker