DEARBORN — The Henry Ford Centennial Library recently launched a reading and discussion series about the Islamic faith, culture, history and people. The program, which is titled “Let’s Talk About It:  Muslim Journeys, Connected Histories,” kicked off Tuesday, Sept. 18, with a lecture by University of Michigan Professor Stewart Gordon on his book “When Asia was the World.”

Project director and Dearborn librarian Isabella Rowan said the purpose of the program is to help locals gain a deeper understanding of Islamic history, with the help of experts, not only books.

“The goal of ‘Let’s Talk About It’ is to encourage our members to go beyond the library stacks and explore new themes and ideas, with the help of a scholarly guide,” she said. 

The Centennial Library is one of 125 libraries across the country to receive a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association for the series.

Rowan said the world was more connected than we think, before European explorations of the New World in the 15th Century.

“The desire to know connects all of us,” she added. “This series will be a journey of dialogue and discussion.”

Gordon’s book is a collection of biographies of people who traveled throughout Asia and the Muslim world, from 500 to 1500 A.D. The discussion was about their documented experiences and observations on the road, which included sophisticated legal systems, established medicine, advanced science and massive libraries. 

Professor Gordon speaks during the reading series.

The professor, whose book was translated into multiple languages, donated a signed Arabic copy of “When Asia Was the World” to the Library.

Gordon said he decided to write the book after a discussion with a journalist friend. The professor asked his friend to describe the world during the Dark Ages, and the journalist gave a description of images from that period in Europe– knights, women in pointy hats and monasticism.

“‘What if I told you there was a world with great courts and libraries in Asia during that time?'” Gordon said he asked his friend.

The journalist advised the professor to write something about the topic. 

Gordon wanted to draw a picture of the Muslim World during the European Dark Ages, through the stories of well- traveled ordinary people.

“In the 12th Century, for the first time, there existed a world with no boundary for educated men,” he said.

Gordon added that during that time people had “cognitive geography;” they knew what the world beyond them looked like through previous travelers’ descriptions.

“If you were going to Hajj in Mecca, even for the first time, you knew what to expect on the road,” he said.

The professor stated that the fall of the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad in the mid-12th century did not cause immediate decline to Muslim civilization. The power of the Caliphate was absorbed by smaller states, he said, which caused people to move around and travel amid unrest.

Gordon read passages of his book and explained the significance of some experiences narrated in it. A lively discussion, about the Muslim world during the European Dark Ages, ensued after the lecture.

A woman disagreed with Gordon’s premise that “Asia was the world,” saying that there was a civilization in Europe, and Islam was spread with “the sword.”

The professor responded by saying the Muslim world had a civilization that was far more interested in knowledge and travel.

Although the discussion was about Islam, barely any Muslim American presence was in the audience.

The next reading will be about “The House of Wisdom: How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave Us the Renaissance,” a book by British theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili. University of Michigan professor Rayne Allinson will lead the discussion, which will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. Readings are three weeks apart to give attendees a chance to read the books. 

Residents can call the Centennial Library at 313.493.2330 to register for the next reading and borrow the book. Registration is not required for attendance.