And then there’s the fact that the definition of “Judeo-Christianity” is also problematic for Islam, a religion excluded from the definition.
Muslims are as indigenous to Europe as Christians and have been an influential force on the continent for centuries. In Iberia, Muslims developed a religious culture in which Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived in relative harmony. They introduced oranges, lemons, cotton, and rice (a staple in paella). But when Christians took control of the peninsula, millions of Muslim Europeans were killed, exiled, or forced to convert.
However, even after their expulsion, the Muslims left a profound influence on the Spanish and Portuguese languages, cultural artifacts and architectural treasures (the Alhambra, the Mosque of Cordoba, and the Alcazaba (from the Arabic word for “Alhambra”)). kasbah) Malaga — still visited by millions of people today.
Discomfort with recognizing Islam as part of Europe also extends to the southeastern part of the continent, where the Ottoman Empire ruled for centuries. The Hungarian Baths, Serbian Burek and Mostar Bridge are all European heritage and owe their existence to Islamic medicine, culinary traditions and architecture. And ignoring history is a disservice to historical truth and a disservice to the millions of Muslim Europeans who are made to feel like they don’t really belong.
Moreover, jumping straight to ancient Greece is strangely optional. Leaving aside the nature of ancient Athenian democracy (no slaves or women allowed, no orgies before or after voting), if you look at the timeline of how long post-Athenian Europe was a democracy, you’ll have to skip over quite a few emperors, or Lord Protectors. , before the Pope, First Consul, Tsar, and Fuhrer were freely elected by universal suffrage.
Even today, democracy is a very small exception to the pattern that Europe has had for most of its history, with many European countries having authoritarian rule until after World War II. Greece included. Democracy may have been invented in Europe, but other inventions were equally prominent: fascism and communism. The Roman Empire gave us the word “senator,” but it also gave us the word “dictator.”
