Title: Book Thefts and Plagiarism in Islamic Eras
Title: Book Thefts and Plagiarism in Islamic Eras
Title: Book Thefts and Plagiarism in Islamic Eras
June 29, 2024
writer :Talib essa
Translated by Amal Ibrahim
Intellectual or literary theft is when a person claims, explicitly or implicitly, to have written what was actually written by another, or copies from others’ writings, fully or partially, without proper attribution or acknowledgment. In short, it’s a kind of false attribution, creating the impression that the author is the one who wrote what, in fact, was written by someone else; essentially, a type of theft.
Scientific plagiarism, on the other hand, is the act of stealing others’ ideas or writings and claiming them as one’s own without citing sources. It is considered a form of deceit and fraud.
Types of Scientific Plagiarism
Cloning: Presenting another’s entire work as one’s own.
Copying: Copying large sections from a specific source without citing it.
Replacement: Copying text but changing some key words while maintaining the original information, without citation.
Blending: Mixing parts from multiple sources without attribution.
Recycling: Copying from one’s own previous works without mentioning them.
Hybridization: Combining correctly cited text with text from uncited sources.
Perhaps the most notable case of literary theft in the world of literature that has attracted significant attention is the work of the English poet William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” This story was originally written decades before Shakespeare by Italian writer Matteo Bandello, titled “The Lovers of Verona.” Shakespeare adapted it into the now-famous play “Romeo and Juliet,” which became renowned worldwide.
Another major instance of literary theft involves “The Divine Comedy” by Italian author Dante Alighieri, who drew heavily from the work The Epistle of Forgiveness by the Arab poet Al-Ma’arri. This work was known in Latin culture for two primary reasons: first, the prevalence of Arabic culture in Andalusia during and after Arab rule in Spain, and secondly, Latin translations of major Arabic texts, such as Aristotle’s philosophy annotated by Ibn Rushd, known in Latin as Aristotelian Averroism. Translations of major Arabic works, including Al-Ma’arri’s The Epistle of Forgiveness, were widely accessible.
One of the more recent instances of plagiarism sparked controversy when satirical media personality Bassem Youssef was accused by Dr. Ahmed Abdel Hamid, Director of Translation and Research at Sasa Post, of copying his latest article “Why Doesn’t Putin Care?” in its entirety from another article titled “Why Russia No Longer Fears the West?” originally published in the American magazine Politico, which specializes in political issues.
In the Gulf region, a storm erupted when a court ordered Dr. Ayed Al-Qarni to pay a fine of 330,000 Riyals for copying 90% of the material in his book Don’t Despair from the book “This is How They Overcame Despair” by Salwa Al-Odaidan. The primary issue wasn’t just the theft itself but also that Dr. Al-Qarni initially denied copying Salwa’s material before later admitting to it.
This article, Book Thefts and Plagiarism in Islamic Eras, is derived from World of Books magazine, volume two, issue two, published in 1982. It was written by Mohammed Maher Hammouda and is part of the collection of the scholar Mikhail Awad at the Baghdadi Cultural Center, with the first page handwritten by him.
Sources:
- Wikipedia Encyclopedia
- Literary Theft by Yasser Hareb
- Famous Literary Thefts by Awad Shaaban
