Conventional Eurocentrism Opposed: Destiny Disrupted

It is approximated that the Australopithecus, a hominid, lived approximately four to one million years ago. From that point in time, the world history of humans has been an exhaustive, arduous task to document. With that in mind, world historians attempt to capture the events most important to the development of contemporary humanity. In fact, Tamim Ansary states that “World history, after all, is not a chronological list of every damn thing that ever happened; it’s a chain of only the most consequential events, selected to reveal the arc of the story-it’s the arc that counts.” Some have taken a European approach to the restrictions, but in response to such thought, Tamim Ansary’s Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes presents a sequential restating of history through an Islamic viewpoint. From the beginning of Islam with Muhammad to recent happenings, like 9/11, Ansary presents Islamic history in a larger context to commendably combine said history with world history. Furthermore, Ansary claims that Islamic history has often been seen as a side to Western history, as Western history has “prevailed and churned” Islamic history, although it has it is crucially significant in the larger context of world history. In the larger sense, Ansary proves his argument that Islamic history has developed independently and is important, but he does not project the importance of the Islamic history over European history.

Ansary draws multifariously from sources to corroborate his argument. For illustration, Ansary utilizes hadith to prove his points. Furthermore, Ansary admits that hadith may not be dependable, but Ansary focuses on that they demonstrate the quintessence of an attitude present in the masses. Normally...

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...y by compiling a summary of Islamic history, and, by doing so, creates a complete Islamic history that can go toe to toe with European history. As a result, his argument stands to be thorough, suggesting that Islamic history indeed plays a role in today’s international world

Works Cited

Ansary, Mir Tamim. Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes. New York: PublicAffairs, 2009. Print.

Baker, Jeff. "Tamim Ansary: From Afghanistan to Portland." The Oregonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

"'Destiny Disrupted,' by Tamim Ansary." SFGate. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.

Hinson, Kathy. "Book Review: 'Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes'" The Oregonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

"Mir Tamim Ansary - Afghan American Author and Lecturer." Mir Tamim Ansary Afghan American Author and Lecturer. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.