Al-Andalus: Colonialism the Nice Way?
Read an excerpt from Dr. Guerreiro's speech.
In the context of renewed intercultural dialogue, UNESCO aims to shed new light on the process of the convergence of cultures, seen within the perspective of history. By encouraging the creation of new forms for dialogue between communities from different cultural or religious areas while sharing a common historical heritage, one promotes the emergence or consolidation of common values. Importance is also attached to highlighting the processes of facilitating exchanges between cultures as a means to foster those aspects which can bring about a change in attitude towards others and a deeper sense of solidarity.
Indeed, by revealing the rich cultural heritage of every given country, highlighting the interreligious and intercultural relations with other Religions and Cultures throughout history, it is possible to raise awareness of the intercultural and inter-religious dimension of our Civilization seen from a holistic perspective of shared values and principles as citizens of the world.
The “Other” is just another part of the self
We need more than ever to change perceptions and attitudes towards the “Other”. This Other has to be viewed as part of oneself. Cultural Diversity cannot be a factor of division but must acknowledge that differences are an enriching factor in multicultural societies and most of all, they are a powerful asset in building social cohesion based on a common destiny. I strongly believe that this feeling and attitude should become a major tool to fight against “communitarian” trends whereby groups or communities coming from different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds and speaking a diversity of languages, live in seclusion. I recognize that these groups may fear to loose their identities if they mesh with a mainstream Culture. But in a way, they have to be cognizant of the fact that they will be enriching themselves while enriching the host communities. Many trickles form a river. Interactions always took place during history and for me, in a certain way, no culture or religion can stand on its own since it is the result of layers of civilizations, which took over from other cultures and religions. This is the reason why the present can only be highlighted through the past. In this respect, learning History teaches us many lessons.
Historic nostalgia: the Al-Andalus period wasn’t just sweet peace and harmony
One of these lessons is the 800 years of experience of Al-Andalus, when Islam was one of the European religions. I will not say, as a historian, that during all those centuries, only harmony reigned throughout. There is, even among historians, a kind of nostalgia for this period, considered as a “Golden Age” for the “living together” of the three abrahamic families on Iberian soil – a time of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Some concepts might be misleading, such as the concept of “tolerance” itself, which does not belong to the medieval mentality when theocratic societies were the rule throughout Europe. In those times, the leitmotiv “Ejus regio, ejus religio” was applied. It was only after 30 years of bloody war that this concept appears as a way of enabling different religious communities to live side by side, namely the Catholics and the Protestants. This did occur during the Middle Ages in Europe. In this regard, it is true that the “feeling” of a European identity was forged during the first years of the Reconquista when in an 8th century Chronicle for the first time mention is made of the Europeaenses who were fighting against the sarraceni. In a certain way, an identity is always constructed in contrast to another identity. But in these times, people identified themselves through their religious identity. A common sense of belonging to a common citizenship did not exist.
European Christians speaking fluent Arabic
In this regard the many Christians who remained under the Muslim domination in what became known as Al-Andalus, did not enjoy, as the Jewish community, full rights like their Muslims counterparts. They had to pay heavy taxes per capita as well as on their land (Djizia and Jarach), After the berberian invasions of the Almoravides and Almohades, the Christians and Jewish were obliged to wear distinctive signs and were not allowed to ride horses and practice their religion in public places by organizing processions and the tolling of bells. Nevertheless, what I call neighbor relationship, the “vicinity” was established. This creates real bonds and a common culture of language and ways of living through cooking, dressing and many other aspects of everyday life. This canvas is the one which enabled the Andalusian civilization to grow and expand. Sometimes, ties are woven outside the political sphere. These interstices allow people to connect to each other and share each other’s cultures despites the “ukases” of the political and religious responsible who in those times were defiant of this close relationship. In fact, Christians while keeping their spiritual traditions and remaining faithful to their beliefs as people of the Book, Al–Ahd, as their Jewish counterpats, they increasingly became Arab speaking individuals and very much attracted to the Muslim civilization, as exemplified by Alvar of Cordoba in the 9th century. He was preoccupied that the youth was more fluent in Arabic while unable to write a simple letter in Latin. Only clerks and learned people still knew Latin and pretended not to know Arabic. In a certain way, Mozarabs, Mustarib, which means those who speak Arabic, were torn between their double identity. Some of them even chose during the 9th Century, to become voluntary martyrs to show their attachment to their beliefs in a period where Christians were converting to Islam and becoming Muwalladoun. Nevertheless, despite this cleavage, the Hispanic, being Christians or newly converted Muslims, always had something in common and many times warred against the Muslim elite composed mainly of ethnic Arabs who in a certain way also despised the Berberians (Ibn Hafsun and the Barbastro “guerilla”).
Plato and Aristotle were handed down to Europe by the Moors of Spain
Therefore, one must admit that the picture of coexistence among cultures and communities in Al-Andalus is much more complex than it may appear at first sight. Cultural and linguistic interactions were so close that it gave way to the birth of a brilliant Civilization, unique in its kind, during which the work of all the ancient philosophers were translated and passed on to the west. What would be the Scholastic movement of the 12th and 13th century without this contribution?
On one hand, we must acknowledge that this history of hatred and love is the root of many of the misunderstandings that still prevail nowadays, of the role of Islam in the building of a spiritual and intellectual Europe. But dialogue can also be made possible through conflict. This is better than to remain ignorant of what the other is. Reciprocal knowledge is a concept which has to be encouraged and nourished in order to eliminate stereotypes and prejudices. Reciprocity is also an attitude that should be favoured. This means duties and responsablities towards one another, not only rights. Equality should be the rule for everyone regardless of their ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds.
Education here plays a paramount role since it is from the tender age that children are responsive to a positive perception of the other. The teaching of History must also evolve and all textbooks should convey a neutral and objective image of facts and people with their specific culture. They should show the part of Islam in the construction of Europe so as to demonstrate that it is part of the European culture and that today a new European Islam is emerging, which will be different from Islam in other parts of the world because they share a common citizenship with all Europeans and aspire to a common destiny.
This lecture was held on June 21st at the “Islam – A European Religion” Conference, organized by the Böll-Stiftung, Berlin
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Republished in excerpts by kind permission of the author, all rights by Dr. Rosa Guerreiro