CM06: Reclaiming Al-Andalus

Ziauddin Sardar sides with the philosophers of al-Andalus in their struggle with orthodox theologians, Robin Yassin-Kassab goes on a poetic journey, Nazry Bahrawi reveals how the Andalusi philosophers tamed the secular, Gema Martin Munoz is dismayed by the works of the Spanish Orientalists, Emilio Gonzalez-Ferrin argues that al-Andalus is not just a time past but also a time present, Martin Carr explores the plight of Muslims who were forced to convert to Christianity, David Shasha describes the achievements of Sephardic Jews, Cherif Abderrahman Jah tunes into the musical legacy of al-Andalus, Brad Bullock seeks to empower women, Marvine Howe meets the new Muslims of Iberia, Jordi Sarra del Pino vows to resist Spain's new Reconquista, Alev Adil and Aamer Hussein receive nine postcards from Andalusia, Boyd Tonkin is captivated by a book festival in Granada, Zara Amjad and Gulzar Haider reimagine the Cordoba Mosque as a sacred space for all religions, and Merryl Wyn Davies gets the shivers while listening to the Spanish tenor Jose Carreras belting out 'Granada'.

Also in this issue: Vinay Lal explores Gandhi's attitude to Palestine, Barnaby Rogerson reprimands the Muslim aversion to dogs, four poems by the enchanting Rowyda Amin, a short story by John Liechty, and a dozen luminaries of al-Andalus we should all admire.

In this issue

CM06: Reclaiming Al-Andalus

Ziauddin Sardar sides with the philosophers of al-Andalus in their struggle with orthodox theologians, Robin Yassin-Kassab goes on a poetic ...

Return to Al-Andalus by Ziauddin Sardar

A young surgeon seeks new techniques to relieve the suffering of his patients. He is a rationalist familiar with the latest advances in ...

The Jasmine Breeze by Robin Yassin-Kassab

Every Muslim has heard of al-Andalus, where Europe meets Africa, where the Mediterranean almost closes its lips. It’s a land of sonority ...

The Andalusi Secular by Nazry Bahrawi

Somewhere in the Gobi desert lurks a wormlike creature so elusive that no one can fully describe its attributes properly. Some say it spews ...

A Thousand and One Histories by Gema Martin-Munoz

The Arabs conquered the Iberian Peninsula in 711, integrating it into the Islamic Empire, and in 1492 the Catholics put an end to the ...

Iberia's New Muslims by Marvine Howe

One balmy evening last summer, hundreds of ecstatic Muslim teenagers, many in headscarves, throbbed and swayed to the lyrics of Islamic pop ...

The Andalusi Dozen

Three monotheistic faiths lived and thrived side by side for eight centuries, from 711 when Muslims first entered the Iberian Peninsula to ...

Re-imagining the Cordoba Mosque by Zara Amjad and Gulzar Haider

See how the renowned Canadian Pakistani architect Gulzar Haider and his student Zara Amjad reimagine – and virtually rebuild - the ...