“European Muslims,” according to Al-Jazeera, “have criticised the likely omission of all reference to Islam in the upcoming European Union constitution.”
European Muslims “argue that Muslim Spain was a beacon to other parts of Europe in the Middle Ages, and was renowned for its advanced society.”
This shows how useful the politically correct revisionism about Muslim Spain has become. In Onward Muslim Soldiers, I detail the realities of Muslim Spain that have been papered over by multiculturalist myth.
Said Dalil Boubakeur, imam of Paris’s Grand Mosque: “If we stick to this Judaeo-Christian definition, in that case, let us at least bring in Islam.” He spoke of the “cultural and artistic contribution of Islam everywhere in Europe.”
Masud Shadjareh of Islamic Human Rights Commission in London added: “I think there is definitely a hidden agenda by xenophobes to have Europe designated as a Christain entity with a Christian history. If this happens then it effectively excludes Islam. I think this campaign may be motivated by a desire to keep Muslim Turkey out of the European Union. . . . I don’t think there is a problem if religion isn’t mentioned at all because that means nothing is being excluded. But if Christianity is specifically mentioned then, by implication, you are excluding other religions including Islam. This, of course, means you are denying that Europe is a multi-racial and multi-cultural place.”
What Boubakeur and Shadjareh do not mention, of course, is that most of Europe was indeed for centuries a “Christian entity,” with which the Muslim empire was in a perpetual state of war for a millennium, attacking from Spain (after it was conquered) in the West and Turkey in the East. They would be more honest if they acknowledged that France, Germany, Italy, etc. “” as well as Spain itself “” do indeed have a “Christian history,” and that they are trying to change all that now. But no doubt they realize they stand more chance of success if they try to deny it altogether and rely on the short historical memories of Westerners.
It’s ironic, also, that while they are trying to shame Europeans into denying their heritage, they would almost certainly defend stoutly the Islamic identities of Egypt, Syria, and even Turkey and other Muslim countries, despite the undeniable Christian histories and cultural patrimonies of those nations. (Thanks to nicolei.)