History Books Filled with Forged Illustrations of Medieval Islamic Science

UC San Diego professor Nir Shafir examines the proliferation of forged Medieval illustrations and recreated fictional objects in history books, museums, and libraries that depict nonexistent aspects of Islamic science. While Shafir rejects those who “vilify Islam as the antithesis of civilisation,” he nonetheless recognizes the danger of whitewashing history, concluding that “this progressive impulse . . . is an offshoot of a creeping, and paternalistic, tendency to reject the real pieces of Islamic heritage for its reimagined counterparts.”

Cinnamon Stillwell analyzes Middle East studies academia in West Coast colleges and universities for Campus Watch. A San Francisco Bay Area native and graduate of San Francisco State University, she is a columnist, blogger, and social media analyst. Ms. Stillwell, a former contributing political columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, has written on a wide variety of topics, including the political atmosphere in American higher education, and has appeared as a guest on television and talk radio.
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