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The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise

Muslims, Christians, and Jews Under Islamic Rule in Medieval Spain

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The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise

By: Dario Fernandez Morera
Narrated by: Bob Souer
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Scholars, journalists, and politicians uphold Muslim-ruled medieval Spain - "al-Andalus" - as a multicultural paradise, a place where Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived in harmony.

There is only one problem with this widely accepted account: It is a myth.

In this groundbreaking book, Northwestern University scholar Darío Fernández-Morera tells the full story of Islamic Spain. The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise shines light on hidden features of this medieval culture by drawing on an abundance of primary sources that scholars have ignored, as well as archaeological evidence only recently unearthed.

As professors, politicians, and pundits continue to celebrate Islamic Spain for its "multiculturalism" and "diversity", Fernández-Morera sets the record straight - showing that a politically useful myth is a myth nonetheless.

©2016 Darío Fernández-Morera (P)2016 Tantor Europe Islam Judaism Spain Middle East Middle Ages Iran Africa Mythology Ottoman Empire Imperialism Ancient History Portugal Crusade Spain Myths
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The author seems to have decided to put the cart before the horse and come out fighting for a guilty verdict no matter what.

He used historical facts in an grudgingly manner to reach preconceived conclusions. Lack of tolerance, religious or otherwise, in the Middle Ages was not confined to Muslim societies, it was prevalent throughout Christian Europe, mostly in the shape of religious wars, burning of witches, etc...

In his attempt to prove his case, the author erred in producing full facts, especially those that might not support outright his claims. He even managed to come up with a number of historical falsehoods, such as the claim that Arabs didn’t know horses at the time of Muhammad. And that despite the accepted fact that Arab conquest successes were primarily attributed to the good use of the Arabian horse. And if not, can he tell us how come that today’s European racecourses are full of expensive & much adored ‘Arabian’ horses?

Finally, if the Spaniards did not appreciate at all the Muslim presence and hated historical Andalusia, then how come they kept the appellation for their southern provinces and erected a statute for Averroes in Córdoba?

History With Biased Slant

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Turns out the popularly held Andalusian tolerance is significantly exaggerated. Jews were mistreated, and Christians were castigated. Both were impoverished by the high jizzya tax, and at the bottom rings of society, with persecution becoming more or less severe depending upon the whims of whoever was leader of the caliphates at the time, Umayyad or such.

Just a glimpse of what may happen to western Europe soon.

Exceptional scholarship utilises primary sources

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Absolutely relentless in his approach to combating the lies of modern academia, and there attempts to sanitize life in Muslim Spain.

A great book

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A thorough debunking of the persistent fantasy of Islamic tolerance in Spain. Analysis of evidence which is conveniently ignored by many historians to skew their argument.

The facts not the myth

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Andalus is often cited as an example of Islamic tolerance and enlightenment. The politically correct academics who make such statements tend to overlook Berber dynasties, if they are aware of these groups at all. This book provides a reconsideration of the earlier, relatively milder period as well. The possibility of being branded a racist for presenting inconvenient facts about a religion, or of loss of funding for Middle Eastern Studies departments (much of which comes from repressive Middle Eastern regimes), have often prevented a truly honest and balanced look at Islamic Spain.

Each chapter provides a thematic examination of a different subject, from Jihad to women's rights and the treatment of religious minorities. The parade of horrors is not for the faint of heart. We hear of the widespread use of infidel women as sex slaves, some girls as young as 11 years. Based on strong primary source evidence, the author argues that there is at least the strong possibility that female genital mutilation was practiced among the Muslims of Spain. Religious minorities were humiliated and taxed at higher rates, but at least they were allowed to exist initially.

Because the book argues against conventional wisdom, it can't make claims like "Islamic Spain was a beacon of tolerance" without backing them up. So for each claim, a lot of evidence and different examples are cited. This may be tiresome for some people. While an honest look at the evidence in this book would lead to most of the author's claims being accepted, it is most likely that the politically correct establishment will simply ignore it, because it goes against their narrative.

A harrowing account of Islamic Spain

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