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Do you daily use soap, shampoo, toothpaste, a toothbrush, coffee, a clock, a camera, a fountain pen? Did you study algebra, chemistry or the scientific method at a university? Do you own a guitar or magnifying glasses in your home?

If your answer is yes to any of these, you have Islamic civilization to thank, from which all of these inventions and scientific disciplines, plus many more, were developed during the medieval period.

Islamic civilization shaped our ideas of modern education (the first university was founded in Fez, Morocco, in 859 AD, over 200 years before the first university appeared in Europe); modern medicine (public hospitals structured around wards with trained staff physicians and surgeons using precise surgical instrumentation and science as the basis of their practice originated in Baghdad in the 9th century); and philosophy (Ancient Greek philosophy was revived and interpreted by Islamic philosophers in Muslim-ruled Spain).

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Mohammed Elshinnawi interviewed Professor Akbar Ahmed, chair of Islamic Studies at American University, on his Documentary “The Journey Into Europe.” The film is about the influx of Muslims to Europe, the challenges they face and the perceptions European have of these migrants.

Ambassador Ahmed holds a discussion following the Journey into Europe film screening moderated by the public intellectual Aftab Malik.

In Bradford, England, Ambassador Ahmed participated in the 2016 Bradford Literature Festival, which ran from May 20-29. On May 28, Ambassador Ahmed presented the Journey into Europe film and discussed the film following the screening and held a Q and A with the audience. The screening was in the National Media Museum’s Cubby Broccoli theater, which is named after the producer of the James Bond films. The film received a very enthusiastic response. Earlier that day, Ambassador Ahmed spoke on a panel entitled “Mainstreaming Hate Speech: The Rise of the Far Right.”

Ambassador Ahmed speaks during the panel discussion, “Mainstreaming Hate Speech: The Rise of the Far Right.”

The Literature Festival is in its second year, and it was an incredible event with some 200 sessions including poetry recitals, performances, lectures, panels, and films. The festival is co-directed by two dynamic Bradford Muslim women, Irna Qureshi and Syima Aslam. The festival was distinctly multicultural with numerous Muslim-themed events such as the evenings devoted to giants of South Asian Muslim literature like Ghalib, as well as English authors like the Bronte sisters, who were from Bradford.

A traditional poetry recitation in honor of the great Ghalib.

Also participating in the festival was Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, one of the UK’s most prominent Muslim political figures. Warsi escalated to fame when she was made a member of the House of Lords and also served as chairman of the Conservative Party. Warsi generously took Professor Ahmed and his family for a magnificent Pakistani breakfast to Zoya, a well-known restaurant in Bradford.

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi and her husband Iftikhar Azam with Ambassador Ahmed in front of the Zoya restaurant.

Frankie Martin, Zeenat Ahmed, and Mina Hoti joined Ambassador Ahmed in thanking the organizers for their warmth and hospitality and for providing such a wonderful venue for intercultural and interreligious communication.

Team member Mina Hoti enjoying an event at the festival.