雨中的理性
Little rain, and with a reason
When the Moors (Muslims) Ruled Europe: Documentary
當摩爾人（穆斯林人）在歐洲的土地上統治時的那個年代（記錄片）
When the Moors (Muslims) Ruled Europe: Documentary (full)
當摩爾人（穆斯林人）在歐洲的土地上統治時的那個年代：（記錄片，全片。片長102分鍾）
An insightful documentary into the prosperity Islam engendered in Europe during its glorious reign there.
一部很有內涵、很有見地的紀錄片，揭示了伊斯蘭輝煌王朝在它的興盛時期所構造的歐洲。
在此片中，Bettany Hughes女士（講解者）身懷探索曆史的激情，又不失客觀和理性。而諸多被采訪者們的回答，頗具個性，精彩，耐人尋味，發人深思。尤其是Bettany在片尾朗讀出來的那大段大段的結語，遣詞造句，睿智大氣，用心良苦，堪稱文學造詣的典範。
實在很難用中文傳譯出它的神彩，所以，在這裏，隨手摘了幾處，聽寫出來，以饗你我：
0:00:12 The year is 1492, Christopher Columbus（克裏斯托弗·哥倫布）, ...
0:04:59 ...beloved... It's here: The Alhambra Palace（阿爾罕布拉宮）...
0:16:08 Very unique religion and education... There is no seperation... The angel told him: Read... poetry...But I think the most important section... Come and learn, because with knowledge, you can become what you want to be, in the future...
0:20:37 During the midevil period, knowledge is at the high agenda of Islamic world... This inhabited of learning, ... This is an Arabic translation of philosopher Aristotle（亞裏士多德）, with the additional commentary, by Muslim scholar...
0:22:00 529 AD, ... closed down the Athenian school of philosophy ... Dark Ages, ... While Europe wasn't protected and was vulnerable, Islam was consolidating land and power...
0:29:00 The heart of Al Andalus,... Cordoba（科爾多瓦）, ... brought cutting-edge technologies for irrigation（灌溉） to Spain, almost immediately, the landscape was transformed. Palm trees, lemons and oranges, avocados, ... none of which had been seen in Europe, Because of ... sophiscated trade network, this new agriculture（農業） created huge wealth... And these riches were used to built one of the greatest cities in the world. When London still lived in wooden houses, the people in Cordoba had built a cosmopolitan with population of over 100,000, the largest settlement in Europe... 70 libraries, over 300 public bars...
0:32:00 And his great achievement is this. The great Mask(?) of Cordoba. With the floor space, the size of four football...this is the largest Mask in western Islam...the forest of 600 marble columns, dispear in distance, creating a mathematic infinity effect. All the columns and arches balanced on the top one another. Its shell-shape planisher has an extraordinary acoustic（聲學效果）, make anywere spoken inside audible to the entire congregation...
0:38:00 ... There is no evidence of force to convert at all... Islam is a culture of innovation, isn't it? ... The Islamization in Spain did more than change the name of God that people worship, people converted, because this is a religion which had something to offer them, it had wealth, it had social structure, it had intellective power...The Arabs brought in one innovation that did more than any others to change the culture makeup in Europe. It's this: PAPER（紙）. The idea, centainly from Chinese, by trade exchange, and it's revolutionary technology...
1:06:40 The conqueror has been conquered by the culture... The Spanish are simply creating history. They turn the history into fable...
1:13:28 That's not the story you hear, is that? No, I think the history is much more interesting than that history you hear... So the Christian come, he didn't force muslim he controled to convert... No, No, we can not see a process of conversion（昄依）, it's a process of trial and error, people gaining land, gaining prestiges... We are painting now that is religion's ideology, but it's not... So the religion is a convenience of excuse, rather than a driving force... Absolutely, the religion is always an excuse...
1:39:00 For a very long time, people have protested and urged that history be truthfuly doubt, they've not felt this nonsense. But this is an inheritance of Inquisition（宗教裁判所）, the Inquisition character is live and well. I can tell you one thing, Spanish people has a tendency to prevent others from speak their mind, a tendency to try and control the way others behave and think. You can be sure that when you are trying speak the truth, you pay for it!（聆聽最後這句處變不驚、擲地有聲的箴言，怎不令人拍案叫絕？！）
1:40:00 And so, Al-Andalus（安達盧斯） fell. East became East, and West became West, two distinct cultures, politically and religiously devided. And yet, what history the more shows, is that these two cultures are also linked in ways that we might never have imaged. The West has been inspired by Islam. But, more than that, it was in a very active fighting the muslims, that Europe consolidated its identity.
When we started, Christopher Columbus（克裏斯托弗·哥倫布）was setting sail for a new world. And when he pointed his boat westward, Spain aligned herself with him, turning away from East, the muslims had been fought and now what been forgotten. As time went by, memory of Islamic past were moded, until they become a more conforting story book version of history, this is a case where the truth really is strange and fiction, the story of Al-Andalus isn't a simple tale of good vs. bad, East vs. West, it's trigering(?) and complicated, it's brilliant and bruteful, it's very human, and it's very messy. And it's precisely for that reason, it needs to be remembered, not written and answered in history book.
