More4: When the Moors Ruled Europe

Rowley Birkin QC

A documentary examining the origins of Islam and the Moorish Occupation of Europe in the 8th Century.

Also starting on More4+1 @ 22:00.

Interesting programme so far and thought it might be of interest to some here.

irishconvert

Thanks for the info. I read your post 2 days to late though! :-(

Care to give us a quick review?

Rowley Birkin QC

Went though the origins of Islam and how it was far more open to science and learning outside of traditional dogma. Also explored the origins of the madras as a centre of learning.

It explored how Islam spread into Andalucia and built cities such as Cordoba and how record of the Caliphate was systematically wiped from Spanish and European history. Also showed how two of the most notable Spanish heroes, El Cid and Don Alonso de Guzmán El Bueno were actually Arabs or of Arab descent from the time of the Caliphate.

Very interesting programme. Well worth watching out for a replay.

Was especially interesting to me as I don't believe in any kind of deity or higher power.

Anyway, hope that helped.

IslamicSister

I really enjoyed it.
I enjoyed the fact that she (along with Spanish non-muslim scholars) set straight that that Isabella of Castille didn't 'defeat the tyrannical muslims of Spain' and set the world to rights by bring Catholicism ...but in fact how Spain under Muslim rule was a centre of learning , philosophy, culture, science and progressive thinking and how when Isabella arrived she destroyed the land, books and culture that Muslims and Christians had co-operatively built together. Very interesting indeed, because you never hear that ...

deravarra

irishconvert wrote: »

Thanks for the info. I read your post 2 days to late though! :-(

Care to give us a quick review?

You can watch it yourself

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_N27wqbdlI

donaghs

IslamicSister wrote: »

I really enjoyed it.
I enjoyed the fact that she (along with Spanish non-muslim scholars) set straight that that Isabella of Castille didn't 'defeat the tyrannical muslims of Spain' and set the world to rights by bring Catholicism ...but in fact how Spain under Muslim rule was a centre of learning , philosophy, culture, science and progressive thinking and how when Isabella arrived she destroyed the land, books and culture that Muslims and Christians had co-operatively built together. Very interesting indeed, because you never hear that ...

Perhaps if there was more emphasis on the open mindedness which lead to the flowering of learning during Moorish Spain (and in Baghdad etc), it might help counter the narrow-minded Dark Age which has descended on much of the Islamic world since that time.

Spanish Christianity until recently was certainly not of a tolerant variety. However I wouldn't go so far as to say that all the knowledge and culture was destroyed. There was some knowledge transfer into Christian Europe (some of it of Classical Greek origin), which in turn helped the European Renaissance.

Manach

I'm about half way through it. I'm find it interesting, and shows a good background to excellent Islamic contribution to modern science and culture. However, the presenter seems to be of type that embraces the one example makes general rule in regard learning in the non-Islamic world, and ignores Byzantine/Irish contributions. But apart from that, very informative.