Re: The Anglo-Saxon distortion of Torquemada and the Holy Inquisition is well known to those who care to study the matter. It does a disservice to distort the other way, though. The Jews never had a "hold" on Spain, as you say.
The truth is that the Muslim yoke was far more tolerant towards Christians and Jews than the following Reconquista fanaticism.... The Muslim rulers of mediaeval Spain allowed both Christians and Jews to abide by their respective persuasions provided they didn't 'push their luck'.... As usual, several educated Jews were employed by the caliph as astrologers, physicians, etc.
Besides, some scholars have hinted at historical documents that suggest that even Charlemagne, the famous last 'European king', had been sent to Muslim Andalucia to round off his education --after all, all the Ancient Greeks' legacy was saved from oblivion by Muslim scholars (algebra is an Arab word, eg). |
