Every time I hear someone say how wonderful life was for the Jews and Christians under Islamic rule in Spain I want to beat my head against my desk. The “golden age” lasted the first 200 years or so out of the 700 years Islam ruled Spain. Christians and Jews were restricted in what they were allowed to wear, where and how they would pray, Jews had to wear a badge (sound familiar?), they weren’t allowed to carry weapons, there were restrictions on building churches and synagogues, who they could marry, etc, etc…

They were given “rights” because the Muslim rulers didn’t have any other choice, they were trying to retain control of an empire. Christians and Jews were thought of as “vile”. It’s well past time to stop calling the Islamic rule of Spain “The Golden Age”.

Here’s a nice poem by Abu Ishaq, circa 1066, regarding the jews:

Do not consider it a breach of faith to kill them, the breach of faith would be to let them carry on.
They have violated our covenant with them, so how can you be held guilty against the violators?
How can they have any pact when we are obscure and they are prominent?
Now we are humble, beside them, as if we were wrong and they were right!

Abu Ishaq, 1066