Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Stop. Think. Learn. Got Medieval: Professor Newt's Distorted History Lesson = A blog by an actual, real live Medieval historian. You know, not Wikipedia. This post specifically was in response to Newt Gingrich's diatribe, that is now apparently being repeated by his followers who are clearly not at all intellectually connected with this debate.
[quote]
Last week,* Newt Gingrich released a Newt Direct (http://www.newt.org/newt-direct/ - broken link) statement (http://www.newt.org/newt-direct/newt-gingrich-statement-proposed-%E2%80%9Ccordoba-house%E2%80%9D-mosque-near-ground-zero - broken link) at Newt.org concerning the project. As you may have heard, he's somewhat opposed to it. And to explain why, he offered this history lesson:
The proposed "Cordoba House" overlooking the World Trade Center site – where a group of jihadists killed over 3000 Americans and destroyed one of our most famous landmarks - is a test of the timidity, passivity and historic ignorance of American elites. For example, most of them don’t understand that “Cordoba House” is a deliberately insulting term. It refers to Cordoba, Spain – the capital of Muslim conquerors who symbolized their victory over the Christian Spaniards by transforming a church there into the world’s third-largest mosque complex. [...I]n fact, every Islamist in the world recognizes Cordoba as a symbol of Islamic conquest. It is a sign of their contempt for Americans and their confidence in our historic ignorance that they would deliberately insult us this way. [emphasis mine]
It's that appositive phrase there buried in the middle of my quote that is the problem. In these twenty-five words, Newt offers the final word on medieval Cordoba: "the capital of Muslim conquerors who symbolized their victory over Christian Spaniards by transforming a church there into the world's third-largest mosque complex." This fact, the transformation of a church into a mosque, is the only thing we should think of when we hear a modern Muslim use the word "Cordoba," according to Mr. Gingrich.
And it continues. All of it is backed up by quite excellent books or peer edited literature. There is also another good post on that blog that lists a series of books to further understand Spain's history in that period.
Last edited by CaseyB; 08-18-2010 at 04:16 AM..
Reason: length/copyright
Stop. Think. Learn. Got Medieval: Professor Newt's Distorted History Lesson = A blog by an actual, real live Medieval historian. You know, not Wikipedia. This post specifically was in response to Newt Gingrich's diatribe, that is now apparently being repeated by his followers who are clearly not at all intellectually connected with this debate.
And it continues. All of it is backed up by quite excellent books or peer edited literature. There is also another good post on that blog that lists a series of books to further understand Spain's history in that period.
Can't rep you again, but thanks for the history lesson.
I recently read a book of historical fiction about Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife and the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, the "Catholic Monarchs" who married and went to battle to win Spain back from the Moors. It started with her childhood, which was first spent traveling with her parents on the battlefields and then in the Alhambra after they conquered the caliphate. During the Moorish rule, Jews and Christians were free to practice their religiion and there were few conflicts between the religions. After, of course, came the Spanish Inquisition.
I read that book a couple of months ago, so when the Park Place imam said he named his interfaith project "Cordoba House", I knew what he meant and thought it was pretty clever. And of course I felt so smart, just like when you learn something new and a couple of days later it appears on Jeopardy.
Problem is that you inadvertently ommited the last part where Spain took over the mosque and turned it into what it is presently today, a Roman Catholic Cathedral. Seems they could have chosen a better symbol for victory if that was their intent but nice try.
Problem is that you inadvertently ommited the last part where Spain took over the mosque and turned it into what it is presently today, a Roman Catholic Cathedral. Seems they could have chosen a better symbol for victory if that was their intent but nice try.
After the fall of Moorish rule, the Catholic Church also took over one of the oldest and largest synagogues in the world which is ALSO conveniently located in Cordoba. It has been a museum for over a century now but it served as a Catholic place of worship for hundreds of years after the Jews were run out of the Iberian peninsula.
Perhaps we should have another Spanish Inquisition...
No not the Comfy Chair
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
