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Golden Andalusia

22/5/2019

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 I’ve just spent a week in Andalusia – that part of Spain, governed by Muslim rulers for over 700 years. It’s an exciting area and I was able to fulfil an ambition to visit Seville with its magnificent cathedral and palace, Cordoba with its outstanding Mosque and Granada which proudly boasts the beautiful Alhambra with its lovely gardens and walkways. Islamic art and architecture are everywhere giving buildings their distinctive Moorish appearance, even though Islam hasn’t been the dominant religion since the re-conquest of the region by the Christian monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand in the 15th cy.
  
The centuries of Muslim dominance are often thought of as a ‘golden age’ in which Muslims, Jews and Christians lived in comparative peace. It’s often upheld as an example of what could and perhaps should be possible in the 21st century. It was certainly a golden age of learning where literature, poetry and philosophy flourished. Jews fared much better under Islamic rule than, I’m sorry to say, they did under Christian rule. Like Christians they were able to practise their religion and contribute to society. But it was only Muslims who were seen as full citizens and certain restrictions were placed upon both Jews and Christians who were forced to live in a state of dhimmitude, paying a special tax to the Muslim rulers with restrictions on clothing, such as the wearing of a distinctive badge, and the building of synagogues and churches.

‘Golden Ages’ are often a reflection of idealism and aspiration rather than of reality for there were tensions in the region with Islamic rulers fighting one another for power and prestige and waging war on Christians in other parts of Spain. Jews, Christians and Muslims did live in comparative peace but only by accepting Muslim rule and some years were more peaceful than others. Persecutions did sometimes happen. When Andalusia was reconquered by the armies of the Christian monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand, the age of tolerance was at an end. Andalusia became a dangerous place for Muslims and Jews. 

As a Christian I was able to marvel at the beauty, simplicity and symmetry of the Moorish architecture, the peace of the wonderfully laid out gardens and freshness of the running waters. These spoke to me much more of the presence of God than the great Cathedrals built with the money which came from Christopher Columbus’ conquest of the New World. The ornate altars covered in gold leaf, the gold and silver of the cathedral treasures, the grandeur of the buildings themselves were overwhelming and rather too much.  It was hard to look at such opulence and think of the poverty that exists outside their walls. It was hard too to remember the consequence of the Spanish colonisation of the Americas which introduced diseases previously unknown to the indigenous people, decimated and impoverished the population, traded with them for gold and attempted to force them into accepting Catholic belief and practice.

It was hard to remember how the Pope at the time supported this venture and passed a decree known as the Doctrine of Discovery which gave Christian rulers the right “to invade, capture, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens, pagans, and other enemies of Christ, to put them into perpetual slavery, and to take away all their possessions and property.” This was the injustice of a time which considered those who weren’t Christian as less than human. How is it possible to give glory to God by great cathedrals and yet ignore and subdue human beings who were made in the image and likeness of God?  And yet it’s important not to judge an earlier age by present understandings. We’re all limited by the era in which we live and at that time grand cathedrals were built to give glory to God and remind worshippers of their creatureliness. It’s the same with other religions. Hindu and Buddhist Temples as well as Mosques and Gurdwaras have been built on a large scale in spite of the poverty of people living around them. Often they have given worshippers a sense of being taken out of their mundane lives into another reality.

Looking for remnants of the Jewish community was hard. In both Seville and Granada there was a Jewish area, known for its narrow streets with its bustling cafes and restaurants but no sign of Jewish life. Cordoba did have the ruins of a small synagogue and a statue of Maimonides, the great medieval philosopher, much respected by the Jews, whose understanding and systemisation of the Jewish faith is still used today. He was born in Cordoba but had to leave with his family when one Muslim dynasty abolished dhimmi status and offered only conversion to Islam, death or exile. Jews are present in Andalusia but more in their absence than in their presence.

Evidence of Islam is everywhere – in the decoration of buildings, in the great palace of the Alhambra but particularly in the magnificent Mosque, the Mesquita, of Cordoba. Wonderful red and cream pillars give a sense of freedom and, even with the crowds of visitors, the Mosque is amazingly prayerful. At its peak the Mosque was able to house 20,000 Muslims at prayer. It must have been an amazing sight. It’s the only ancient Mosque in Spain and amazingly was not pulled down when the governance of Spain passed into Christian hands. Rather a cathedral was built within it – a great Gothic cathedral with its gold altars and vaulted ceilings – rather crude and obscene compared to the simple lines of the Mosque. This again is not unusual. The space already had a Christian Church which was destroyed to build the Mosque and in fact this has only been saved by having a Christian Church built within it - a bit like St Sophia in Istanbul with a Mosque built inside a Cathedral.

There’s much more to be said of course but I’m left with feelings of awe at the beauty and wonder of it, sadness at the history behind it and a recognition of what dialogue and cooperation can do for a society, if only we were committed to it. I don't think this is the last word on Andalusia.

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A Busy Week

6/5/2019

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Last week was a busy old week in the world of interfaith in Scotland. It began with an event at the Skih Gurdwara to celebrate the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak in 1469. Like all founders Guru Nanak wanted to call the people of the time back to a renewed spiritual way of life. He was born a Hindu but early on in his life showed an interest in learning about Islam.  Like other founders he was able to see through much of the ritual of religion to reveal the sacredness of all life. So for example he wasn’t interested in wearing the sacred thread of Hinduism, saying that people should be marked out, not by what they wear but how they act.  When criticised for sitting with his feet towards Mecca he asked to be shown a part of the world where his feet would not be pointing towards God who is everywhere. He had a profound religious experience and the story goes that he emerged from this declaring ‘there is neither Hindu nor Muslim’. His message was universal and his love was for humanity. Guru Nanak could see beyond the confines of religion and recognise the truth and beauty behind them though now his teaching has become institutionalised in the religion we call Sikhism.

The celebrations for Guru Nanak will last all year as an opportunity for renewal and recommitment to his ideals. The theme for last week’s event was ‘Service to Humanity’, a theme running through the whole year.  Sikhs are well known for their hospitality and service. Gurdwaras offer a community meal each day to which everyone, no matter their creed, race, position in society are welcome.  But this year Sikhs throughout the world will be engaging in is a special scheme to plant a million trees as a ‘gift to the entire planet’, something the planet desperately needs in the light of the report just published by the United Nations on the perilous state of our world. In the state of Punjab there is a plan to plant 550 samplings in every village and here in Scotland 550 will be planted in the ancient Caledonian Forest.


Another event I attended last week was Yom HaShoah, the annual memorial of the Holocaust at which the Jewish community remember all those murdered by the Nazis.  This is a particularly moving evening. Not only does it take place with survivors and those who were part of the kindertransport present but members of the community submit the names of their relatives who died in the various concentration camps and these are displayed as we stand in silence. Then the memorial prayer is said and the mourner’s kaddish sung. It’s impossible not to be touched by it.

The guest speaker this year was a Christian journalist from Berlin who has been researching the fate of the approximately 40 Jewish residents who lived in his apartment block and who died between 1933 and 1945. Now each year, over a weekend near Yom HaShoah, the doors of houses and apartments where Jews once lived are open, the names of the former residents and their stories told through exhibitions, art, music, poetry, readings and talks.  All homes have a history and this is a poignant and unique way to remember people and families who suffered persecution in Berlin. It sets up a meaningful relationship with them and keeps their story alive. We too were asked to remember individuals. We were given a candle and asked to let it burn in memory of someone who had perished. My candles were lit in memory of Jacques Herzmil of Paris who perished at Auschwitz in 1942, aged 10 and Nikolai Shnaider of Gaysin who perished at Gaysin in 1943, aged 4. Surely they have now become part of me.

The third event of the week was the meeting of the Religious Leaders of Scotland, a group that has met twice a year for the last 18 years or so and, as a consequence, have formed strong ties and good friendships across the faiths. This was a particularly good and honest meeting which started with a remembrance of the bombings in Sri Lanka. We met in the Mosque and the Imam movingly asked pardon for what his co-religionists had done, reminding us that it was neither in his name nor in the name of the true and authentic followers of Islam.  Such atrocities do happen but we can use them to double our efforts to work together and show the world that friendships and respect across faiths is not just a possibility but in some instances a reality.

This set the tone and we reflected a bit on some of the issues facing us in society today – the ever present possibility of assisted suicide becoming law, the abolition of nuclear weapons which are housed in one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland (and not wanted by the Scots) and the paper on Human Fraternity for Peace and Living Together (the one signed by the Pope and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University) which raised for us questions of education and citizenship. They were all too much to be dealt with but they’ve laid the ground work for further discussion and the realisation that a much longer meeting is needed and will be planned for. The Pope and the Grand Imam warned against what they called indifferent conversations. Our meeting certainly didn’t fall into that category. There’s great satisfaction in a meeting of minds and hearts that deals with real issues and a sense of common concern for the society in which we all live, even if we weren’t to agree on the details.  

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    I am  a Catholic nun, involved in interfaith relations for many decades.  For me this has been an exciting and sacred journey which I would like to share with others.

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