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Cambridge and Oxford used to be just seminaries.

There were Bible schools, basically.

Yes.

So the first non-religious department opened in Oxford University was Arabic language department in 1631.

Because under the narrative of all these immigrants, or we're the first world, or look at these

underdeveloped countries.

Do you see how that narrative gets flipped on minutes, so we're going to make the most of our time. This is one of my dear teachers, Dr. Zulfiqal Ali Shah.

I've learned some incredible things from him and gained some profound insights with him,

and I continue to do so.

So I'm really excited that you guys will get introduced to some of the amazing work that he's

done in this conversation, inshallah.

To give you some framework, I'll just take a couple of minutes,

and then I'll start asking Dr. Zofikar some questions.

It's really important for us to understand or get a clear picture of our history.

And I know sometimes we say these things,

and they just become tag phrases

to say with no real meaning. I mean a rich, deep understanding of history. And if we don't

understand it, we don't, we get a skewed or corrupted picture of our own identity, our own

place in the world right now.

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