Islamic Spain can be seen as one of the only societies that has grasped the importance of synergy and placed this notion above the typical need for absolute control. It is here where adherents of three religions coexisted and thrived culturally, economically, and intellectually. Two works explain the history of Islamic Spain, one being a documentary by Gardner Films, Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain, and the other a book by Tamim Ansary called Destiny Disrupted: A History of The World Through Islamic Eyes. While both Ansary and Gardner Films explore the themes of Spain under Islamic rule, Gardner Films provides the viewer with a more thorough history of the region whereas Ansary remains brief and narrow with his narration. The documentary Cities of Light provides a view of Islamic Spain from its beginning to its very end. This documentary touches on every aspect of what life was like in Islamic Spain and the significance of the events that occurred there.
In the fifth century Barbarians collapsed the Roman Empire and Europe entered the Dark Ages. Around this time the Visigoths expanded their empire by heading for Spain. Upon arriving in Spain, the Visigoths encountered Jews whom they treated somewhat gently until the Visigoths converted to Catholicism; the Visigoths then overran Jews. Soon after, Muslims from North Africa known as Berbers decided to invade the Iberian Peninsula in hopes to take control of Spain and expand the Muslim reign, which they did. This sudden change in rule of the territory provided a sense of relief for all the people living in Spain. The reason for this was because the Muslims treated everyone equally so long as they abided by Muslim authority and paid taxes. After all, the Christians...
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...ommunity into two. Both Ansary and Gardner present this idea of Rahman III claiming himself as Khalifa and the issued that come along with it are of extreme significance. This disunity of what is supposed to be a single Muslim community (umma) made many Muslims angry and gave them the idea that religion needed to be purified, this sparked a purification of religion in Christianity as well. This eventually led to Islamic Spain falling into the hands of Ferdinand and Isabel who expelled all Muslims from Spain and ended the long-lived Islamic Spain.
Bibliography
Ansary, Tamim. Destiny Disrupted: A History of The World Through Islamic Eyes. New York:
Public Affairs, 2010.
Gardner, Robert, Carrie Gardner, and Sam Mercurio. "Cities of Light: The Rise & Fall of
Islamic Spain." Produced by Unity Productions Foundation. 2007. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i1Sb0nz_fk
Ansary, Mir Tamim. Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes. New York: PublicAffairs, 2009. Print.
All in all, this short selection of Usama’s writings does much to further the understanding of the effects on the crusades on many Muslims during this period, though since this was written by an affluent elite it does not describe much of the general populous’ experience. It also provides a good overview of the interactions between Muslims themselves. This was a time fraught with danger and division but Usama’s work shows that a common thread kept many together and preserved a civilization that still exists to this very day.
During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church was the dominant force in Western civilization. As the Dark Ages came to a close, the monarchies of Europe began to consolidate power; providing an alternative power base. With the Protestant Reformation came another blow to the influence of the Church. Spain, the forerunner in the Age of Discovery, was a fervently Catholic country. During the 16th century, the monarchy combined the forces of "cross and crown" in its imperial policy; much to the dismay and ultimate destruction of the indigenous peoples of the New World. Through an examination of Aztec polytheism and the Catholicism of the conquistadors, comes the central role of religion in the successful conquest of New Spain.
Print. Doak, Robin. Empire of the Islamic World. Rev. ed.
The early years of Jerusalem under Islam along with Islamic Spain are both presented in the
Rahman, Fazlur. Islam & Modernity: Transformation of an Intellectual Tradition. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1982. Print.
The Ottomans and Spanish built flourishing empires based on different philosophies from 1450 to 1800. The Ottoman and Spanish were two powerful empires during that time. During the building of the two empires, the Spanish and the Ottoman both developed similarities in their social, political, and economic structures. The Ottoman took control of Europe, while the Spanish saw it as easy to monitor new lands. The different tactics employed made the both empires flourish. For instance, the Spanish were not tolerant of religion. They conquered other areas with the aim of converting Christians to Islam, if they refused, they would be killed. On the other hand, the Ottoman leaders incorporated leaders of diverse culture
‘Moors’ is a late-antique term which is used to refer dark skinned North Africans of Arab origin, who conquered the Iberian Peninsula in 711 C.E. Thus, began a period of history which shaped Spain differently than the rest of the Europe as the land was modified with new religion, new language and new culture. It was rise of Islam in the Europe
A Vanished World: Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Medieval Spain is survey medieval Spain, where Christians, Jews, and Muslims once lived side by side and the Muslims were in charge. The book tries to lead the reader to the conclusion that there is indeed a historical precedent for the three major religions establishing a beneficially symbiotic relationship which may be an enduring lesson for coexistence. The author, Chris Lowney, is an ex-Jesuit and holds degrees in medieval history and philosophy.
Muslims one time ruled Spain and had a massive power over the region and influenced many aspects of the European life style we see now a days. Arabs occupied the Iberian Peninsula 711-1492, and gave it the name Al-Andalus. The Arabs ruled Spain for a large period of time but eventually were defeated and had to leave, but till this day the Arabian influence is live and clear. Even though it’s been decades since the Muslims left Spain the Heritage of Al –Andalus continues to live on daily basis and the heritage of Al-Andalus is the foundation of the current Spain, in language and architecture and literature.
“Culture belongs to the imagination; to judge it rationally is to misunderstand its function” (Wilson 79). In “The Butterfly Mosque” by G. Willow Wilson, she acknowledges culture and explains why cultures can differ so greatly. She emphasizes why its highly inconclusive to try to find a meaning behind ones culture. As a young American Muslim women she is faced with cross cultural ironies as she tries to find her identity and where she fits in. Her conversion to Islam brings into light her internalized prejudice and the different perspectives of Westerners towards the Middle East and vice versa. In her memoir, she depicts both positive and negative aspects of both cultures and, her struggle to find a common ground between the two.
According to Milani & Gibbons (2001), Huntington considers Islam as monolithic, atrocious and deficient in diversity. In actuality, Islam, like Christianity and Judaism, is splendidly varied and its history is really complex, much more than Huntington seems t...
Although the first real examples of globalization occurred after the creation of the printing press and the discovery of the Americas, in my little pocket of the world, this was already happening, albeit on a smaller scale. Events which transpired in Spain, reverberated across me to the Ottoman Empire, and civilizations which existed before it. This interconnectedness is something which should not be undermined by the school of old thought which characterized my inhabitants as “dark-skinned, indolent, inferior, and superstitious people.” By this presumption of inferiority, people believe that the religions which were commonly practiced here were incapable of reaching the same level of sophistication that Christianity had attained in their eyes. Often the identity of my inhabitants is misconstrued, and scholars become incapable of separating the religion of groups from their person. While religion is incredibly important to those which live here in terms of building strong communities and values, it is a disservice to account Islam for the failure of states or civilizations. If this were truly the case, then Islamic innovation would never draw the attention of the Christian communities who lived here alongside
Tariq Ali uniquely puts into perspective the horrific tragedies behind the Spanish reconquest in his work, Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree, by capturing the history in the perspective of a Muslim family who lived in a village just outside of recently conquered Granada. He does this in order to expose the cruelty and intolerance of the Archbishop Xemenes de Cineros. Ali also uncovers the faults in not only Christianity, but also in Islamic ideology by having many character’s from the family Banu Hudayl debating and questioning Islamic beliefs which may parallel with the author’s own beliefs, or lack thereof. (Tariq) One of Ali’s strongest focuses however, was to expose the lack of urgency many Muslims felt after the fall of Granada. Many Muslim’s
G. Esposito, John L (2002) Islam; What Everyone Should Know. New York. Oxford University Press Inc.