Nice read, though the geek in me insists in pointing out that "quendi" is plural (i.e. "elves") and the term "moriquend" is Tolkien's Elvish (as opposed to the Forgotten Realms variety).

Okay. I'll go back to watching watching Weird Al's all too accurate "White and Nerdy" now:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=rWs1FF-BS7c

Joe,
According to one of the members of today's "intellectual" class, we have only to wait less than a thousand years for Drizzt to enter the world.
I'll not comment on Ali's post.
Mike
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6057734.stm
"The descendants of the genetic upper class would be tall, slim, healthy, attractive, intelligent, and creative and a far cry from the "underclass" humans who would have evolved into dim-witted, ugly, squat goblin-like creatures. "

Citizen Duck: the term "moriquend" is Tolkien's Elvish ...

Yes, but the singular is moriquende. However, the moriquendi were the elves who never beheld the light of Aman, so their darkness was spiritual, not epidermal.

This epidermally dark elf Drizzt is called a drow, which is a Scottish or Shetland sort of elf; in Gaelic, a Du Sith (pronounced something like "douche", if one must pronounce it at all). The spider goddess "Lloth" is likewise Gaelic, given the double "l", and probably pronounced "Thloo".

So if he was forced to live underground, it was probably for stealing babies or milk cows or some other form of fairy larceny.

My God, Man thats no spider goddess!!! Thats Great Cthuhlu!!!!!!!!!!

NERDS!

There is only one Elvish (and Mandos is its prophet). Thanks for the linguistic corrections.

Normally, I'm willing to play, "I am more nerdy than thou." with the next geek, but I think I'll draw the line here.

Likewise, normally I'm willing to criticize the philosophical underpinnings of just about anyone's morality, but this was written with such earnestness that I'll leave with only saying that I prefer Mr. Frodo as a guide to what is heroic and honorable.

Good read. I've been puzzling for a long time over why there wasn't a reformation in Islam, what might be done to create one, and "what went wrong" when Islam descended from empire to backwater. The problem was that things didn't add up, so it was like counting the toes of someone who had either more or fewer than was "normal". This together with Warriq's book seem to suggest that the civilization declined because of the increasing influence of Islam itself, and that what was once a great civilization actually reached that zenith in spite of Islam's influence. The fact that the central figure has no "normal" characteristics adds to that flaw.

There's a religious tradition in Christianity that holds that "the spirit gives life, while the letter kills", and this appears to be what happened with Islam. But the question is still, what can be done to remedy? Is there a remedy?

If not, what do we do?