John J. O’Neill
John J. O’Neill
The Myth of Spain’s Islamic Golden Age
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We have traditionally been told that the first two centuries of the Spanish Emirate, supposedly founded in 756 by Abd’ er Rahman I, constituted a veritable Golden Age of Spanish history. And indeed the opulence and prosperity of Spain during these years is contrasted very favorably with the poverty and ignorance of Christian Europe in the same period. The following description of eighth-tenth century Cordoba, written by English historian H. St. L. B. Moss in 1935, may be regarded as fairly typical of the genre:
“In Spain … the foundation of Umayyad power [in 756] ushers in an era of unequalled splendour, which reaches its height in the early part of the tenth century. The great university of Cordova is thronged with students … while the city itself excites the wonder of visitors from Germany and France. The banks of the Guadalquivir are covered with luxurious villas, and born of the ruler’s caprice rises the famous Palace of the Flower, a fantastic city of delights.”
Write comment (30 Comments)Islam: Savior or the Destroyer of Classical Civilization?
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- Written by John J. O'Neill
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How Henri Pirenne's 'Mohammed et Charlemagne' (1938) became a thorn in the liberal paradigm in vogue since the 19th century that Islam was a savior of the classical civilization and the precursor of modern Europe…
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Fate of the Library of Alexandria: Do Pyramids Hold the Secret?
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- Written by John J. O'Neill
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Is the story of Caliph Omar's destruction of the Library of Alexandria a hoax?
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How Islam Shaped the Medieval World?
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- Written by John O'Neill
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How Islam had a defining role in shaping the medieval world for what it stood for....
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Hiding Your Assets: The Surprising Origin of the Burka & Niqab
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- Written by John J. O’Neill
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The practice of acquiring beautiful wives of others by the Muslim ruling class, following Muhammad's example as he had acquired Zainab, the wife of his son-in-law (Zayd), had forced Muslims to introduce all-covering veils in order to conceal their women from the prying eyes of the predatory Islamic authorities, assumes the author....
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