Read this article at Social Sense. Mustang has been missing in action for awhile, but he is back now. If nothing else, welcome him back. But I think all would do well to read the article. It is demonstrates precisely how revisonist history can creep in subtlely, and in some cases virtually undetected.
Pretty soon jihadists will have some actually believing Muslims discovered America. (Don't laugh, there are theories being circulated on that very thing, right now.)
In case you do not read the comments section here is my comment that I left in response to the article:
How can you get through to people like Mr. Reyes and get them to understand that all empires during that period were brutal in their occupations of conquered lands? That's exactly why they called them the "dark ages".
Christianity as presented by the Holy Roman Empire was no different than any other imperial empire in that regard, that much is certainly true. But I think the fact that people like Mr. Reyes miss some basic principles in their presentation of Muslims as being a benevolent empire, may explain why they fail to fully understand how we are at this point, today.
The main point they miss is:
Christianity evolved out of the medieval mindset due to the Renaissance and the enlightment period that accompanied it. Islam never has had such a period.
They had periods where they weren't as brutal as others. They had periods where they made some discoveries in math and medicine, and they did a good job of preserving a lot of the architecture styles of the Byzantine period. (Notice how they succeeded in the concrete arts and sciences, but never in the abstract ones.)
But make no mistake about life under Muslim rule (under the Moors, Turks, or any others), it was a fascist rule. There has been to date no dominant Muslim empire that has permitted enough freedom of thought and expression enough, to question the doctrines of Islam. Any attempt that was ever made to modernize Islam into the modern age, has always been met with a strong counter-effort, to suppress that effort.
Today is no exception.
Jump into the fray that will likely develop, when everyone realizes that Mustang is back over at his place. If you are reading this blog and not reading Mustang's, you really must ask yourself, why not?
9 comments:
"Christianity evolved out of the medieval mindset due to the Renaissance and the enlightment period that accompanied it. Islam never has had such a period. "
LA, I would add my two cents to that statement. Left on its own, it gives the impression that Medieval Christianity was how Christianity originated. That is not the case. Christianity "devolved" down to what we saw in the middle ages; mostly due to the blending with the empire established by Constantine. That was a step in the wrong direction as it took a religion based on an individual's faith and institutionalized it.
The Renaissance; specifically the Reformation allowed Christianity to evolve back to what it had been and should have been all along.
Islam never had such a time. From day one they were very much as they were during the middle ages and as they are now.
I don't usually use the blogosphere to get into religious discussions, but I felt this was appropriate.
I agree with your assessment.
The Roman Church was/is to blame for many atrocities throughout the "dark ages" and it certainly resembled very little of what Christ and His apostles taught. And you are right, the Reformation and subsequent renaissance of expression and thought, began the long journey to bring the church out of the "wilderness". It's still there today, but further out than when Martin Luther broke away.
Good points, sir.
LA,
Thanks for the heads-up about Mustang's return. Had you not provided the exact link, I couldn't have accessed his new article. I've got the old one cached from hitting his site so many times.
The topic he's posting on really interests me, and I left several lengthy comments.
AOW, No problem at all, you are very welcome, indeed. I will check your comments out.
although you may disagree with the conclusion (that hispanics should honor their muslim heritage today), the historical analysis seems pretty accurate to me.
it's true that there weren't any 'humanitarian' empires in the sense we have today, however jews and christians were MUCH better off in muslim lands for centuries compared to jews and muslims in christendom. also, al-andalus was particularly tolerant compared to muslim territories further east.
it's true that the author is trying to isolate places and points in time in which tolerance was the norm in Spain and in Latin America, but i find it a very interesting point of view.
Ms. Miami,
How many Hispanics really consider themselves to have a Muslim heritage? Most that I know consider themselves to be Roman Catholic. Many were from Indian bloodlines, with no real ties to either except what was forced on them. In all of my dealings with Hispanics over the years, this is the first I have heard that anyone Hispanic wanted to claim any kind tie to Islam, from the Moors'brief occupation of the peninsula.
lasunsett,
most hispanics are aware of their muslim heritage if they have any iberian blood (although franco tried to erase mention of it), however, i grant you that this is an unusual approach to viewing it...
by the way, muslims controled part or all of spain for about 800 years--not so brief.
this heritage is especially cherished in the south of spain- i had a lovely visit to the 'banos arabes' in cordoba a few years back. i also study flamenco dance, wherein the arab influence, alongside others, is particularly a source of pride.
Ms. Miami,
most hispanics are aware of their muslim heritage if they have any iberian blood (although franco tried to erase mention of it), however, i grant you that this is an unusual approach to viewing it...
Unsual is not the word, I would use. I see it as downright deceitful when you present the Moors as some peaceful empire. That's the point I was making.
wherein the arab influence, alongside others, is particularly a source of pride.
The Arab influence borrowed heavily from the Byzantines. especially true in architecture.
Anyway, thanks for visiting. I will be busy for a couple of days and won't be as active here, on the blog. But do come back.
sure, i'll keep checking you out.
(I see it as downright deceitful when you present the Moors as some peaceful empire.)
actually, i was speaking of tolerance. however, when analyzing history, words like 'tolerance' and 'peaceful' can only be used in a relative sense when comparing to other empires or other periods.
relative to christendom during that particular 800-year period, yes, the moorish spain was definitely more tolerant.
and, yes, we've all borrowed from one another...
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