Islam Influences in the Western World

When most people of our generation think of Islam, what is the first thing that comes to mind? For me, the first memory of actually understanding what Islam was happened on September 11, 2001. It is a date that many can easily recall. It was a date where planes did not fly overhead. It was a date where many of us can recall exactly where we were when we heard the announcement either first on the radio (in my case) or watched the events unfold on television. It was an event that impacted our lives forever.

Being from the east side of Michigan, my dad works in Dearborn, MI. Outside of the Islamic Empire, it is said to be the area where there is the most gathering of Islamic people. On September 11, 2001, my dad was sent home from work out of his own protection. When that day happened, I did not quite understand the significance of how this all tied together. I was lucky enough, however, to be in tenth grade at the time. My history teacher thought that his students were old enough to understand what was happening in the world around us and he thought that we needed to understand how the Islamic Empire has effected the Western world throughout history. He took three weeks out of his normal lesson to teach us about the Quran. We covered the Five Pillars of Islam and he explained at length the concept of jihad.

Perhaps one of the most significant memories from that three week long lesson consists of learning about the Battle of Granada. How does a city from Spain tie into the Islamic Empire? First, it is important to understand the geography of the Islamic Empire. Here is a detailed map that highlights the Islamic Empire at its height. Spain was one of the many countries that fell to the Islamic Empire, as early as 750 CE. The Spanish Muslims, known as Moors, dominated the country. Their presence was known throughout the country. Moorish architecture is still found today. Here is an example of the Moorish arches that are famous in Spain. Here is yet another example of the Moorish architecture. This last was as far north as Toledo. It is evident that Spain was completely controlled by the Moorish empire.

However, not everyone in Spain wanted the country to continue to be run by the Moors. As early as 1035, the country of Spain is split into two independent halves: Castille and Aragon. This was the beginning of the religious split between Islam and Christianity in Spain. Here is a map that shows the different kingdoms of Spain. Castille took up the central part of Spain, whereas Aragon controlled the northeastern territory. Portugal was already its own independent country and the kingdom of Granada was in the southeastern section of Spain. By 1212, Christian armies were beginning to dominant Spain. This website informs that Christian forces were already pushing the Muslim influence into just the southern part of Spain, and they were slowly trying to force the Moors completely out of Spain. The religious turmoil continues to effect the citizens of Spain. In 1481-1482, a battle that would last for 10 years began. It was the decisive Battle of Granada and in 1491, the Christian empire in Spain finally forced the last of the Moors to leave Spanish borders, fully reclaiming Spain for Christendom.

So how is this an early encounter with Islam? One of the main reasons why Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain agreed to fund Christopher Columbus' attempt to find a northwest passage to the East Indies is because of this decisive victory. Islam was finally gone from the Iberian Peninsula. They saw it more as an opportunity to spread Christianity to the Western World. But without the Islamic influence, it is possible that America never would have been discovered. Or at least, it would have been conquered at a much later date than 1492. It is an early Islamic encounter for the future American people in the sense that the defeat of the Islamic reign gave motive to send out an explorer that would forever change the Western World.