Islamic Spain and al-Qaeda
Just uploaded my first sample for critique...much improved through
suggestions from Aonghus Fallon, PsychoPat and Rachael.
An altogether Andalusian approach
Scraps of Medieval Islamic culture still survive intact from the Muslim conquest of the beautiful Iberian peninsula. These shy traces of the powerful clasp which the largely Berber conquerers once maintained in southern Europe extend beyond the confines of the merely physical. While invasion is hardly a thing to celebrate, these opportunistic invaders not only conquered the lands and wealth of Spain, but the hearts and minds of the population at large. While the Dark Ages prevailed to the North, twilight began to flicker in al-Andalus.
A fantastic example of pluralism and the cosmopolitan nature of healthy society can be found in the Andalusian concept of la convivencia or coexistence between Christians, Muslims and Jews, a testament to the level of tolerance of both beliefs and ideas positively encouraged by the Muslim rulers of the time. The Islamic renaissance came to fruition with the translation and study of ancient manuscripts, preserved from antiquity, during a flurry of scholarly activity in the tenth century.
Nowadays, this fascinating history has been all but forgotten - ask a Muslim in Egypt, in Palestine, or in North Africa, to comment on the Islamic influence in world history and the usual response is emphatically one of shame and regret. No mention of la convivencia. No mention of the wonderful architecture. Not even a nod to the plethora of ancient translations. Only a warped longing for the restoration of Islamic power and control and the imposition of sharia. What a shame.
Perhaps worse is the distinct lack of interest in this aspect of Spanish history on the part of the Spanish people themselves. The elephant in the room, however, makes a persistent din and much of this noise comes from traditional Spanish flamenco, an obvious influence of the 8th Century foreign influx. A less obvious but altogether fascinating example is the Spanish chant Olé Olé, usually heard at bull fights and football games - a corruption of al-Lah al-Lah.
Proper engagement with the substantial Islamic contribution to modern civilisation, channelled through the south-west passage, would do much in the way of assuaging some of the animosity toward the West coming from Muslim elements worldwide. The stated aims of al-Qaeda include the restoration of the Caliphate. Presumably not a tolerant one. Cordoba, in southern Spain, was the seat of the influential Umayyad Caliphate, authors of la convivencia. If the pluralistic components of former Islamic dominion were championed, rather than the former glory of conquest and control, some progress toward tolerance might be made.
An exchange of ideas with the more fundamentalist divisions of Islam is necessary if a discussion of this sort were ever to take place. Mother Teresa once claimed that, "peace begins with a smile." Well, no amount of smiling at an oncoming aircraft will do you any good if it's piloted by suicidal Islamic terrorists. Literacy is a big problem. Education dragged Europe, kicking and screaming, out of the Middle Ages and is the solution once again. If Muslims were taught about the Islamic renaissance and Islamic contributions to modern thought, perhaps a warped nostalgia for former military glory might be replaced with a love of learning and a spirit of tolerant exchange. An unlikely outcome given that education is not a high priority in Islamic countries - books are hard to come by in the deserts of Arabia.
An altogether Andalusian approach
Scraps of Medieval Islamic culture still survive intact from the Muslim conquest of the beautiful Iberian peninsula. These shy traces of the powerful clasp which the largely Berber conquerers once maintained in southern Europe extend beyond the confines of the merely physical. While invasion is hardly a thing to celebrate, these opportunistic invaders not only conquered the lands and wealth of Spain, but the hearts and minds of the population at large. While the Dark Ages prevailed to the North, twilight began to flicker in al-Andalus.
A fantastic example of pluralism and the cosmopolitan nature of healthy society can be found in the Andalusian concept of la convivencia or coexistence between Christians, Muslims and Jews, a testament to the level of tolerance of both beliefs and ideas positively encouraged by the Muslim rulers of the time. The Islamic renaissance came to fruition with the translation and study of ancient manuscripts, preserved from antiquity, during a flurry of scholarly activity in the tenth century.
Nowadays, this fascinating history has been all but forgotten - ask a Muslim in Egypt, in Palestine, or in North Africa, to comment on the Islamic influence in world history and the usual response is emphatically one of shame and regret. No mention of la convivencia. No mention of the wonderful architecture. Not even a nod to the plethora of ancient translations. Only a warped longing for the restoration of Islamic power and control and the imposition of sharia. What a shame.
Perhaps worse is the distinct lack of interest in this aspect of Spanish history on the part of the Spanish people themselves. The elephant in the room, however, makes a persistent din and much of this noise comes from traditional Spanish flamenco, an obvious influence of the 8th Century foreign influx. A less obvious but altogether fascinating example is the Spanish chant Olé Olé, usually heard at bull fights and football games - a corruption of al-Lah al-Lah.
Proper engagement with the substantial Islamic contribution to modern civilisation, channelled through the south-west passage, would do much in the way of assuaging some of the animosity toward the West coming from Muslim elements worldwide. The stated aims of al-Qaeda include the restoration of the Caliphate. Presumably not a tolerant one. Cordoba, in southern Spain, was the seat of the influential Umayyad Caliphate, authors of la convivencia. If the pluralistic components of former Islamic dominion were championed, rather than the former glory of conquest and control, some progress toward tolerance might be made.
An exchange of ideas with the more fundamentalist divisions of Islam is necessary if a discussion of this sort were ever to take place. Mother Teresa once claimed that, "peace begins with a smile." Well, no amount of smiling at an oncoming aircraft will do you any good if it's piloted by suicidal Islamic terrorists. Literacy is a big problem. Education dragged Europe, kicking and screaming, out of the Middle Ages and is the solution once again. If Muslims were taught about the Islamic renaissance and Islamic contributions to modern thought, perhaps a warped nostalgia for former military glory might be replaced with a love of learning and a spirit of tolerant exchange. An unlikely outcome given that education is not a high priority in Islamic countries - books are hard to come by in the deserts of Arabia.
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13 Comments
"These shy traces," "While the Dark Ages prevailed to the North, twilight began to flicker in al-Andalus," "No amount of smiling at an oncoming aircraft will do you any good."
That's very important, I think. I'm sure, though, that some would accuse you of making sweeping statements:
"Ask a Muslim... and the response is emphatically one of shame and regret."
That "Ask a Muslim" is abrupt and seems loaded with trouble to me. It could be easily fixed, of course.
For the latter part, my question is: How do you establish the meaning in the "meaningful dialogue" you want?
I think there's a lot of evidence (to put it mildly), to suggest that the Caliphate that al-Qaeda wants has little relation to any past Caliphate that encouraged peaceful co-existence.
Your article suggests the same. So again, where would the meaning be found?
It's a really well-written article and obviously there are no easy answers, if there are any answers at all.
I'm not writing this to get into a political arguement -- and I certainly don't claim any experise in this area --so you can accept or reject my reactions at will.
Also, you start with Islamic culture in Spain and end with the statement that education is hard to come by in the deserts of Arabia -- a huge jump in not too many words. I think that you need to soften things somewhat. YOU may understand exactly the logic that got you from the first point to the last, but the steps were not obvious to me. I'm no expert, but know a bit and found the 'sweeping statements' that Psycho Pat spotted just bit too sweeping.
But it's a fascinating topic, and I'd love to see if you develop it more.
My one crit/comment would be 'watch your adjectives/adverbs'. There are a lot of them in the first para that you could cut without detriment to the piece in general...
But I really like the concept. Food for thought.
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