FROM 70 LIBRARIES TO 70 VIRGINS, OR THE 1000 YEAR RUT

Via Rand Simberg:

Irshad Manji, a Canadian author and Muslim, on dissent and free thinking within Islam:

"Cordoba, probably the most sophisticated city in Muslim Spain, housed 70 libraries. Now when you think about it, that’s one for every virgin promised to today’s Muslim martyrs. Right? And obviously I am being cheeky when I say that, but it’s a reminder of just how far Islam has fallen from its height of tolerance and critical thinking."

Manji argues that an Islamic tradition of independent thought, itjihad, was crushed during or after (I can't tell which from the article) the 11th century. She says that this was done by the Caliphate, not those nasty Christians or Jews, to prevent political challenges, and that, as a result, for the last 1000 years, mainstream Islamic scholars have basically been repeating themselves.

That would be one hell of a rut to be stuck in.