Roger II, (1095-1154), founder of the Norman
dynasty in Sicily, holds a distinguished place
among medieval European monarchs. He had his
capital at Palermo, and is noted for having made
Sicily into a prosperous country. He established a
strong administration, and constructed a powerful
fleet. The success of Roger II, according to a western
historian, can be attributed in part to the fact that he
“made Sicily a meeting place of European and
Arabic scholars.”
Al-Idrisi was a contemporary of Roger II. Born in
Marrakesh, he was educated in Spanish
universities. Later he travelled extensively in
Europe, Asia and Africa. He became the greatest
geographer of his age, and a close friend and
adviser to Roger II, at whose court he served as
official geographer. Roger II originally invited AI
Idrisi to Sicily to make a map of the world for him.
Here we can see the cause of the esteem in which
Muslims were held in times past. They made Islam
a dominant force on the world scene, not through
protests and demands, nor from spreading conflict
and terror, but through being useful to the world.
By virtue of hard struggle, they established
themselves as intellectual leaders of the world. They
had something that others did not have, so people
flocked to their sides. That was how Muslims raised
their standing in the world in times past. It is by the
same method that they can improve their position
today, and build for a bettor future.
Ref - The Moral Vision
