普通美國人心中全世界的穆斯林都一個樣子﹐他們念【古蘭經(jīng)】﹐手里端著自動步槍﹐女人蒙著頭﹐男人留大鬍鬚。但是這部影片告訴觀眾﹐世界上的醫(yī)院體制是穆斯林創(chuàng)造的﹐他們也是最早掌握了切割鉆石的技術﹐古希臘的哲學著作是被阿拉伯人挽救出來然后再傳授給歐洲人﹐他們把印刷術在數(shù)百年后才教會歐洲人。當古代住在歐洲北方森林里的日爾曼人穿著生皮夾克﹑經(jīng)常不洗臉﹑吃生肉喝麵糊糊的時候﹐穆斯林世界已經(jīng)造起了金碧輝煌的王宮和清真寺﹐那里的人每天洗澡﹐穿綢緞﹐灑香水﹐坐在厚厚的地毯上享受美味佳肴﹐談論天文地理﹑希臘哲學。這是美國第一部伊斯蘭文化的文獻片﹐描述從1400年前開始的第一個千年的文化發(fā)展和科學進步﹐具體的年代是從570年先知穆罕默德傳播伊斯蘭到1566年奧斯曼帝國蘇萊曼大帝。在伊斯蘭興起之后﹐阿拉伯人建立了強大的帝國﹐注重發(fā)展經(jīng)濟﹑文化﹑貿(mào)易和科技。穆斯林發(fā)明了用阿拉伯數(shù)字的數(shù)學原理﹐在科學﹑醫(yī)學﹑光學﹑天文學﹑哲學﹑法學領域中遙遙領先全世界一千多年。Amazon.comIslam:EmpireofFaithistheepicPBSdocumentarythatchartsthehistoryofIslamfromitsbeginningsinMeccaandMedinaintheseventhcenturytothegloryoftheOttomanEmpire1,000yearslater.ThedemonizationofIslambytheWesthasalonghistory,stretchingbacktotheFirstCrusadeattheendofthe11thcentury.ThisdocumentaryredressesthebalancebyshowingtherichesofIslamiccultureandthevitalroleplayedbyIslaminpreservingandbuildinguponancientwisdomfromEastandWestatatimewhenmostofEuropewasstumblingthroughtheDarkAges.Muslimphysicians,mathematicians,andastronomersstretchedtheboundariesofhumanknowledge,andMuslimarchitectscreatedsomeofthemostbeautifulbuildingsintheworld.Islamalsooffersfascinatinginsightsintokeypersonalities,fromMuhammadhimself--asimplemerchantwhosevisionofasingledeityforgedwarringtribesintoanation--togreatconquerorssuchasMehmedandSuleyman,whopresidedoveranempirethatstretchedfromSpaintoIndia.Thefaithitselfisclearlyexplained,andinterviewswithhistoriansandreligiousscholarsbringhomebothitssimplicityandthewaythatitsurvivedhugeculturalchanges(liketheMongolinvasionsofthe13thcentury)toemergestrongerthanever.IslamhasoftenbeenmisunderstoodintheWest,butthissplendiddocumentaryhelpstosettherecordstraight.--SimonLeake