This is one of those things that I love about the Internet. When you are wrong, the Internet doesn’t just gently mention it. It absolutely destroys you, shoving the reality so hard down your throat, you forget how to breath for a while. And then, next time, if you haven’t killed yourself yet, you think long and hard before saying anything out loud. If you have a half a brain or more, of course.
So, somebody posted this to Tumblr:
And got a beautiful response which is worth quoting in its entirety (minor styling and URL fixes were made to the list of sources):
Yes, lets imagine a world WITHOUT MUSLIMS, shall we?
Without Muslims you wouldn’t have:
- Coffee
- Cameras
- Experimental Physics
- Chess
- Soap
- Shampoo
- Perfume/spirits
- Irrigation
- Crank-shaft, internal combustion engine, valves, pistons
- Combination locks
- Architectural innovation (pointed arch -European Gothic cathedrals adopted this technique as it made the building much stronger, rose windows, dome buildings, round towers, etc.)
- Surgical instruments
- Anesthesia
- Windmill
- Treatment of Cowpox
- Fountain pen
- Numbering system
- Algebra/Trigonometry
- Modern Cryptology
- 3 course meal (soup, meat/fish, fruit/nuts)
- Crystal glasses
- Carpets
- Checks
- Gardens used for beauty and meditation instead of for herbs and kitchen.
- University
- Optics
- Music
- Toothbrush
- Hospitals
- Bathing
- Quilting
- Mariner’s Compass
- Soft drinks
- Pendulum
- Braille
- Cosmetics
- Plastic surgery
- Calligraphy
- Manufacturing of paper and cloth
It was a Muslim who realized that light ENTERS our eyes, unlike the Greeks who thought we EMITTED rays, and so invented a camera from this discovery.
It was a Muslim who first tried to FLY in 852, even though it is the Wright Brothers who have taken the credit.
It was a Muslim by the name of Jabir ibn Hayyan who was known as the founder of modern Chemistry. He transformed alchemy into chemistry. He invented: distillation, purification, oxidation, evaporation, and filtration. He also discovered sulfuric and nitric acid.
It is a Muslim, by the name of Al-Jazari who is known as the father of robotics.
It was a Muslim who was the architect for Henry V’s castle.
It was a Muslim who invented hollow needles to suck cataracts from eyes, a technique still used today.
It was a Muslim who actually discovered inoculation, not Jenner and Pasteur to treat cowpox. The West just brought it over from Turkey
It was Muslims who contributed much to mathematics like Algebra and Trigonometry, which was imported over to Europe 300 years later to Fibonnaci and the rest.
It was Muslims who discovered that the Earth was round 500 years before Galileo did.
The list goes on…
Just imagine a world without Muslims. Now I think you probably meant, JUST IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT TERRORISTS. And then I would agree, the world would definitely be a better place without those pieces of filth. But to hold a whole group responsible for the actions of a few is ignorant and racist. No one would ever expect Christians or White people to be held responsible for the acts of Timothy McVeigh (Oklahoma bombing) or Anders Breivik (Norway killing), or the gun man that shot Congresswoman Giffords in head, wounded 12 and killed 6 people, and rightly so because they had nothing to do with those incidents! Just like the rest of the 1.5 billion Muslims have nothing to do with this incident!
Sources:
Via this page.
It’s all a lie – Muslims stole it all from the Persians, Romans, Hellenes and Byzantines.