Pluralistic though it was, Islamic Spain was no democracy. ~Alexander Kronemer
Additionally, Kronemer writes of a generic “Islamic Spain,” as if there were no difference between Umayyads, Almoravids and Almohads. The latter two dynasties were decidedly much less interested in perpetuating whatever toleration and good intercommunal relations there had been before, and they were, in fact, much more fanatical. It is remarkable how these dynasties play no role in Kronemer’s description of the worsening relations between Christians and Muslims in Spain.
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August 22nd, 2007 at 1:35 pm
danielhaar
Well, he did write
but I understand your point. It would have been nice if he had included more details on a number of different things, perhaps including people and their names, to give one a better feel for what actually happened. No Ibn Tufayl, Ibn Rushd, Maimonides, or even El Cid! Too much general description and one eyes start to glaze over in the middle of an article. It’s a shame for such an interesting subject. Hopefully the PBS documentary (which I hope to catch tonight) will be better.