On Wednesday, Bernard Lewis, Princeton Professor Emeritus of Middle Eastern Studies, gave a lecture on the historical Middle Eastern response to the impact of the West. The title, "What Went Wrong," was taken from his most recent book. President Jehuda Reinharz gave the introductory remarks. Reinharz told the audience that Lewis has an unsurpassed knowledge of history and the Middle East. Lewis has published over 40 books in his field.

Lewis began his lecture by explaining a trend in society's view of history. People tend to say, "that's history," believing that it has no relevance to the present day.

"This attitude of history ... is ... ignorance of history," he said.

Lewis said that it has become apparent that something has gone wrong in the Middle East and in other Islamic nations during the 20th Century. The Islamic world, once at the forefront of academia and a strong global power, became weak and ignorant, he said. The Islamic world was separated from the rest of the world. Lewis said this significant fall has led many Middle Easterners to question the current power of the region.

"The question 'Who did this to us?' puts us in a twilight zone of neurotic fantasies and conspiracy theories," Lewis said. Rather, "you can say what did we do wrong ... how can we put it right?"

The question "Who did this to us?" resurfaces often, Lewis said. For a long time, the Mongols were blamed for the destruction of both Muslim power and civilization, he said. Later it was the European imperial powers -- Britain, France, and sometimes Russia.

"The current scapegoats are the Americans and the Jews, between which no distinction is drawn," Lewis said.

Those who ask what has gone wrong often find one of two answers to their question, according to Lewis. He said some claim that Islamic extremism is the source of many problems. They believe that there are those who remain good Muslims, but there are others who use the religion for alien purposes. Others believe that the Islamic world went astray by mimicking the ways of the so-called infidels, Lewis said.

He said that while many place the blame on Islam, this is not consistent with history, as the Islamic world was once a great power.

Lewis said those who sought explanations in the Islamic world began to compare their nations with more successful contemporary countries.

"In Europe, countries had things called parliaments," he said. "The one who was defeated was the one who had not accepted democracy."

Lewis told of the rash of constitutional revolutions throughout the Islamic world, which failed miserably, and often ended with worse dictatorships.

"They wear a constitution in Parliament as they wear a jacket," Lewis said.

Lewis added that Muslim modernizers concentrated their efforts in military, economic and political areas, instituting schools, factories and parliaments. They may have brought temporary alleviation, but ultimately, none of these achieved the desired results, Lewis said.

He said that by placing women in an inferior position in society, the Islamic world is still depriving itself of the talents of half the population.

"It is a society like a human body paralyzed on one side," he said.

Lewis concluded his lecture by stating there is a distinct difference between those who seek explanations and those who seek to blame. In the Middle East, he said, people must choose which direction they wish to follow.

The lecture took place from 11 a.m. until noon and was followed by a question and answer session.

"I'm taking the Intro to Islam (Islamic Civilization, IMES 104a) course, and my professor brought the lecture to our attention," Adena Kempter '06 said. "I had read one of his books and had seen how well he writes and how knowledgeable he is, and I wanted to be able to meet him and possibly be able to ask him some questions."

The lecture was held in Sherman Function Hall and was open to the public.