It should be noted that this book was written in 1963. Sigrid Hunke then makes a sort of apology for Arab civilization. Already, the title of her work is explicit. Today, such a denomination would be impossible.
The author demonstrates to us the richness of Arab civilization in all domains, notably in medicine, where they excelled while the Middle Ages considered illness as a consequence of sin.
If the West was sinking into obscurantism, except for a few enlightened minds, the Arabs, on the other hand, drew inspiration from Greece, India, and Egypt, maintaining the teachings and works of these ancient peoples, while the Inquisition was burning men and books in auto-da-fé.
Reading this work leads to a concluding question: How is it that this brilliant civilization remained stagnant and did not evolve further, or even regressed, particularly regarding women who were reduced to a servile status? The author discusses their place in society. Women were the equal of men and, perhaps presenting a radical evolution of Islam, Sigrid Hunke mentions the veil, asserting that nothing in the Quran demands this alienation of women.
Though this book was written half a century ago, it remains relevant, revealing to us a brilliant civilization that became obscurantist and captive to fanaticisms. In fact, who benefits from this radicalization? That is the whole question.
This question did not arise in 1963, but today it is a fact of our actuality. Sigrid Hunke might say to us: “Do not respond to this challenge of civilization under the influence of passions, but heed reason.”
Thierry Jan
