Add BookmarkA Vanished World: Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Medieval Spain
In a world torn by religious antagonism, lessons can be learned from medieval Spanish villages where Muslims, Christians, and Jews rubbed shoulders on a daily basis--sharing irrigation canals, bathhouses, municipal ovens, and marketplaces. Medieval Spaniards introduced Europeans to paper
manufacture, Hindu-Arabic numerals, philosophical classics, algebra, citrus fruits, cotton, and new medical techniques. Her mystics penned classics of Kabbalah and Sufism. More astonishing than Spain's w... (show more)
In a world torn by religious antagonism, lessons can be learned from medieval Spanish villages where Muslims, Christians, and Jews rubbed shoulders on a daily basis--sharing irrigation canals, bathhouses, municipal ovens, and marketplaces. Medieval Spaniards introduced Europeans to paper
manufacture, Hindu-Arabic numerals, philosophical classics, algebra, citrus fruits, cotton, and new medical techniques. Her mystics penned classics of Kabbalah and Sufism. More astonishing than Spain's wide-ranging accomplishments, however, was the simple fact that until the destruction of the
last Muslim Kingdom by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in 1492, Spain's Muslims, Christians, and Jews often managed to bestow tolerance and freedom of worship on the minorities in their midst.
A Vanished World chronicles this panoramic sweep of human history and achievement, encompassing both the agony of Jihad, Crusades, and Inquisition, and the glory of a multi-religious, multi-cultural civilization that forever changed the West. Lowney shows how these three controversial
religious groups once lived and worked together in Spain, creating commerce, culture, art, and architecture. He reveals how these three faith groups eventually veered into a thicket of resentment and violence, and shows how our current policies and approaches might lead us down the same path.
Rising above politics, propaganda, and name-calling, A Vanished World provides a hopeful meditation on how relations among these three faith groups have gone wrong and some ideas on how to make their interactions right.
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The book reads like a good novel, offering brief yet valuable glimpses on the possibility of how mutual co-existence between the Muslims, Jews and Christians may look like.
The history of Al-Andalus as told by Chris Lowney provides a powerful and poignant reminder that toleration demands active choice and a keen sensitivity to the larger view of the way things are, that allows oneself to embrace 'the other' without being completely submerged by it.
The lessons afforded by Al-Andalus represe... (show more)
The book reads like a good novel, offering brief yet valuable glimpses on the possibility of how mutual co-existence between the Muslims, Jews and Christians may look like.
The history of Al-Andalus as told by Chris Lowney provides a powerful and poignant reminder that toleration demands active choice and a keen sensitivity to the larger view of the way things are, that allows oneself to embrace 'the other' without being completely submerged by it.
The lessons afforded by Al-Andalus represent a stark challenge to us today:
...a choice between moving forward together or going round and round mindlessly in circles,
...a choice between putting our own desires and sense of self-importance ahead of others or to love thy neighbor,
...a choice between betraying the shared truism of mutual respect found in all of the great religious traditions or representing the best that religion has to offer.
Al-Andalus constantly nags us, confronts us and admonishes us, for it reminds us that who we are in the eyes of God depends very much on how we choose to treat our fellow neighbors.
Its a lesson that we can't get enough of. (show less)
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A complete opposite to the idea of "Clash of Civilization". The best part is the story of Hayy ibn Yaqzan (what a name)!
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