In this blog you are to comment on one or more of the assigned articles in relation with any of the topics touched on in the lecture PDFs every week. Your posts should be brief (150 words or the equivalent to 1 paragraph) and, most importantly, a reflection of your preparation for class.
I find the article, “Muslims Angered by Spain’s Granting Sephardic Jews Path to Citizenship,” the most intriguing in regards to our topic in lectures. Right now we are going through the Muslim Invasion. Torrecilla speaks about three important invasions and this is the last that he mentions in lecture. After the Visigothic period, there was a Muslim invasion that challenged Christianity and the united Iberian peninsula. During our first lecture of the class, Torrecilla stated how in the Middle Ages, Jewish was the center of the culture. I find it remarkably interesting because the article explains the anger faced by the Muslims due to Spain’s action of granting Jews a path to citizenship. The fact that we have just learned that the Muslims invaded the Iberian Peninsula and that the Jews were the center culture without any invasions occurring, signifies how it’s possible that they would be treated differently in the end. In lecture, the Jews helped to fight alongside the Muslims because the Jews were persecuted before by the Visigoths. By mentioning the past interaction between the Muslims and the Jews, it’s funny that the Muslims are angered by the privilege that the Jews were given, although they had helped them in the past. It’s always possible that the Jews will help them once more and help give them the opportunity to be citizens as well. History doesn’t repeat but it is repetitive in structure right? I have no clue.
While reading across the articles, I was shocked by the changing times and how different things are now from in the past. For example, after the Christian Reconquest of Spain, the country has retained a strict form of Catholicism for several hundred years. It was surprise to find out how secular this country has become since then (Spain is one of the least religious countries in Europe now). People have been brought up as Atheist so the role of religion has diminished in Spain and thus the people protest the arrival of the Pope. One major factor that I think are affecting the religious fervor could be the economic woes that have people worrying. In regards to the article about Muslims angered by Spain granting citizenship to descendants of expelled Jews during the 1492 Inquisition, I believe Spain should grant the same rights to Muslims because it wouldn’t be fair. After all, the Christians did have to incorporate both Jews and Muslims into their society after the conquest of Toledo. Next, Spain and Portugal has always been rivals since Portugal fought for its independence from Castile-Leon. However, in recent times people on both sides are supporting a union between the two countries and I am in support of this as well because they could benefit from each other instead of fighting.
I am responding to the article about the relationship between Spain and Portugal. It fascinates me that these two countries lie side by side, but barely associate with one another. These countries basically began as one, united by the Iberian culture. However, with the reconquest and many wars throughout history, they became separate by an imaginary border. In lecture, it is mentioned that between the 11th and 13th centuries, Castile attempted to unify Spain and Portugal into one Iberian entity; however, Portugal fought hard for their independence. So since then, these two countries diverged in culture, customs and institutions but Portugal always trailed Spain. I understand how this could cause bitterness toward the neighbor, especially since they are so often compared. When I went to Portugal (while staying in Spain) I definitely noticed a change in attitude and atmosphere while there; it just seemed more dismal and less crowded. But that also could have been because of the gloomy weather. Furthermore, it was quite interesting that almost 11 centuries later, the old concept of reunification of the Iberian peninsula is a hot topic. It would be really strange if Portugal and Spain became one country, for it has been two for centuries. But with the failing economies in both Spain and Portugal, a reunification may be key in staying afloat. I don't know what effects this would have on the national identities of Iberians, but I'm sure they would learn to accept the change if it meant prosperity and improved conditions.
After reading the articles assigned for this week and learning about the influence of religion in Iberian history in lecture, I was fascinated to hear more about the move towards secularism in Spain. The conquest of the Iberian Peninsula by the Muslims and then the Christians forever changed Hispania; the caliphate united the Iberian Peninsula for the first time and brought Islam to the area. The Christian re-conquest of the peninsula and subsequent hegemony began the partnership between the Catholic church and the state. Since the re-conquest, Spain has been known as a largely Catholic state and has welcomed the Pope on numerous occasions. Although I knew that many countries have become increasingly secular in the last 30 or so years, I was shocked to learn about the protests surrounding one of the Pope’s most recent visits to Spain on World Youth Day. Religion is beginning to play a smaller and smaller role in lives of Spanish citizens and, thus, the Catholic Church has attempted to reestablish its presence and influence in the area (exemplified by the Pope’s somewhat frequent visits to Spain). It will be interesting to see how the situation develops over the next decade.
Based on the readings for this week, I still think that Spain is a country of different people where they should accept and convivir in peace with muslims and jews. Spain should give muslims, as well as jews, spanish citizenship because they have the same right. They have ancestors that lived in spain and currently live there just like the jews. Even if the have a different religion they are still part of the country. Spain needs to make peace with every group that makes up the country in order to be prosperous and live in peace. I also believe that the visits from the pope to spain are intended to try to bring up the faith and have a strong catholic population in the country since there are other strong religions. Since I am catholic, I don't like the fact that there are manifestations against the visit of the pope to the country. I believe that each group should respect the other in order to gain the respect back. I understand that ideals have been changing over time and now abortion and gay marriage are legal and i think it is good because it lets people do what they want. REgarding the last article I think there should be a more closely relationship between Portugal and Spain since they are both Iberians and not try to be different.
Being an avid soccer fan, the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Spain is the FC Barcelona soccer team. However, when I think of Spain I also think of Catholicism and Spain being strongly united under this religion. Therefore, upon reading the article “Pope Visits a Changing Spain,” it startled me that in recent decades the role of religion in Spain has changed greatly resulting in Spain now being one of the least religious places in Europe. However, coincidently, just like from the 11th to the 13th centuries the “Reconquista” took place in Spain and Christian kingdoms reconquered the Iberian Peninsula from Islamic kingdoms, in the article Jose Ignacio Wert, a Spanish sociologist, shared that the Pope’s frequent visits to Spain are an attempt for a “reconquest” like in the past. Nevertheless, what I feel has truly changed Spain’s role of religion has been the influence of other people like Muslims and Jews. As the article “Muslims Angered by Spain’s Granting Sephardic Jews Path to Citizenship,” mentions, Sephardic Jews could get Spanish citizenship after living in Spain for two years and the Spanish government was planning on granting automatic citizenship to descendants of Jews expelled from Spain in the 1492 Inquisition. This article clearly exemplifies that Spain has become a country with a variety of religions and people and that these religions’ influence thus have weakened Spain’s Catholic unity making it more secular nowadays.
Spain's discrete hostile treatment toward present Muslims is reminiscent of the ties that continue to evoke tension. In the article that expressed Muslims anger towards Spain's accomodations to grant citizenship to Jews has spiraled tensions once again. It seems to me that Spain has sympathy for the Jews that seemed abused by both Spanish and Muslim fanatics and have been the spectators victimized throughout history. The fact that Spain's culture has been influenced by Muslim culture, giving them that power of citizenship would be somewhat giving them power and so by alienating them it would once again reiterate they have control. Spain's attempt to compensate Jews has been seen as a discrete insult to Muslims, and could potentially harm future important relations with Muslim cultures.
The readings of Week 3 were very interesting to me because they directly reflect the history of the Iberian Peninsula. This week and a big part of last week, lecture was basically focused on two religions fighting over the Iberian Peninsula. In the article about the Pope’s visit to Spain, we see that religion is still a very interesting part of Spain. However, the article shows that it is the dis-interest of religion in Spain that is getting attention. Spain is said to now be one of the least religious countries in Europe. The article states that the pope visits Spain often to try to “re-conquest” it. In addition, the article about Spain granting citizenship to Jews and not Muslims can be traced to the myth of “La Pérdida de España.” This implied that Muslims are not Spaniards, which can explain why today the Muslims are not given citizenship. Personally, I am very confused as to why the Jews are being given citizenship and not the Muslims. I would think that they would both get it or neither of them would get it. Similar to one of the readings from Week 2, this reading ends with the question of whether the Muslims deserve an apology for being expelled in the 15th century. In my opinion, unlike the case of the Native Americans and the Americans, the Muslims were not and invaded and robbed of their land. On the contrary, the Muslims were the invaders. I do not believe they deserve an apology.
The articles this week were interesting because they related to the topics of conquest and outside influence on the Iberian peninsula, which we have been focusing on in class. After the Roman, Visigoth, and Muslim invasions in the Iberian Peninsula there was a change in the conflict in Iberia. Now what mattered was the religions that would be established and grow there. Last week in section we discussed reparations that Spain has given to the Muslims because of their historically unfair treatment towards the Muslims. In the article this week about the Sephardic Jews gaining citizenship, it says that Muslims too are now demanding instant citizenship to any descendants of Muslims who were expelled from Spain in 1492. It seems that any special treatment toward a religious group ignites conflict from another side, like the Muslims who are angered by the Jewish people gaining citizenship. I don’t know what a better solution could be, but I found it remarkable how difficult it must be to satisfy every religious group inhabiting an area. Another article that made interesting points on religion was the article about the Pope visiting Spain, in the hopes to awaken Catholic roots in Spain. As the Muslims, Jews, and other religions face difficulty in Spain, Catholicism struggles, too, just to re-plant roots in a nation where it used to be so dominant.
In the article “Pope Visits a changing Spain”, Lauren Frayer describes Spain as “much more secular” and rejecting of the Catholic religion. This description greatly contrasts the once fanatic and dominant Christian faith. It was really interesting to see not only the lack of faith but the active rejection of it. The majority of the people attending the Catholic event were from outside of Spain and protests opposing Pope Benedict XVI’s arrival to the country demonstrate to what extent people have come to resist Catholicism. Compared to the Crusades where Christianity went hand in hand with the military and life itself during, the Spain of today doesn’t believe in God anymore. Similarly interesting was Spanish sociologist Jose Ignacio Wert’s opinion of the pope’s visit. He describes it as an attempt at “reconquest”, where if we recall a “reconquest” was the purpose of the Crusades in the 11th-13th century.
Historical events create the present and allude to the future. In the past what is formally known, as Portugal was once a part of Spain. Portugal separated and gained independence for a number of reasons. As of now the two countries have an estranged relationship. The past history of these two countries once being united has a lot to do with how they interact with one another today. Portugal feels betrayed that Spain did not bail it out, while Europe was going through financial turmoil. Portugal felt that it was obligatory of Spain to assist them in their economic offset. Some feel that Portugal and Spain should have never split, on account of their various similarities such as their language and their geography. Many Portugal have national pride for their neighbors, which does not let them develop their national identity. Both countries were once united under the Iberian Peninsula, but chances are slim that they will ever united again.
This week's reading centers around how Christian hegemony began in the Iberian peninsula starting with the victory in Toledo by the Christian kingdoms. As Muslim rule begins to fade in the beginning of the 11th century, a series of "reconquest" begins to emerge from the kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, and Portugal. Spanish identity begins to take shape influenced by the motive of Christianizing all of the Iberian Peninsula (and later this applies to the New World and the Americas). It is interesting to see the rise of Spain as a superpower in its early stages as opposed to its downfall in modern days as not equivalent to the rest of the European states, in terms of respect, economy, and power. Morocco demonstrates this by organizing blockades of food and staples to Spain's enclaves of Ceuta and Merilla. Moreover, the cultural landscape of modern Spain has drastically changed over the past few decades into a more secular state. The protests against the Pope show that Spain is not the once ideal Christian/Catholic country it used to be because of the many religious group that live in the Peninsula, especially due to the large population of Muslims. This lack of unity on a single religion is not an issue in my opinion; however the need to protest a visit from the pope is an issue that Spain needs to address because the freedom to practice your own religion should be tolerated, without protests from other groups.
This week in lecture, we had a closer look at the Visigothic Period and the Germanic invasions of Spain as well as the Muslim Invasion and the Christian Reconquest. Given that history proves the Iberian Peninsula?s ever-existing social and political turmoil, it is not at all alarming that the situation?in what is now known as Spain?continues to be problematic. As learned in lecture, the Germanic Invasions allowed the Visigothic kingdom to flourish and take-over the Roman rule in the Iberian Peninsula. During this time, the persecution of Catholics was clearly evident and the Jewish community was suffering from being forced to convert. When the Muslims performed their invasion, the peninsula suffered much of the same fate whilst introducing a new confrontation between the Arab world and the Latin world. Although Muslims did not force conversion, many Christians and Jews had to pay a tax and were not seen as legal equals to their Muslim counterparts. Relative to this week?s readings, we are given an insight to how different Spain has become and to many social and political strains the country is facing in actuality. The article that most interested me was the one with respect to Spain?s granting Sephardic Jews a path towards Citizenship. Since Spain has decided to grant citizenship to Jewish descendants that had been expelled from the country in the 1492 Inquisition, I cannot help but question as to why Muslims are demanding that Spain grant their expelled descendants immediate citizenship. Since Muslims were never ?natives? of Spain, I feel that it is rather trivial for them to ask for citizenship from a country they once conquered. Since Muslims have become rather aggravated by this recent ruling, it is intimidating to think that Muslims could go as far as threatening Spain to favor their population; or perhaps, is it possible that they may be envious that the Jewish were granted citizenship rights and they were not? In any case, the Muslim population in Spain does not look too content; matters should definitely be addressed in order to prevent further tensions from escalating. José Alberto Rojas
The article in TIME magazine about the Morrocans defying the Spanish is a very clear example of the tension between Spain and Morroco, or many parts of Africa for that matter. The not allowing of products to cross over into the Morrocan border is justified by the Morrocans saying that the Spanish are "white racists". This is a response in protest of the Morrocan inmigrants who were mistreated by Spanish officials. Beyond that however, we can see that Spain still has those feelings of superiority, and like professor Torrecilla said, the Spanish( and the moors and others before them) were categorized as proud, arrogant people. The Morrocans are at more liberty to do this now thanks to the economic crisis that Spain faces, and perhaps that is also damaging to the morale of the proud Spanish. Nevertheless, Spain is facing a small problem that could get uglier quickly, and they must resolve it to keep their reputation( and hard earned) as a world power
After today's lecture on the Reconquest, one of this week's readings made more sense on how it tied in to the class. Professor Torrecilla talked about the Christian reconquest of the southern part of Spain. It seemed that although the Christians were not as unified as the Muslims, they still managed to unite themselves to expel the Muslims from Spain. The article on the Pope visiting Spain and how the country is now more secular than Christian seemed to give a parallel story to the reconquest and it's interesting that someone called the Pope's visit a "reconquest." The church is once again trying to have everyone living in this country have the same religion, they can't accept that many people can live together without having the same beliefs, just like they couldn't accept the Muslims even though they allowed people of other religions to live amongst them peacefully, and without forcing them to convert. It's been more than 1000 years after the reconquest started, when most people had to be Christian to live in Spain, and the religion has changed again. If the church were to try to change everyone back to Catholicism, eventually people will once again change their beliefs just like they have done now.
It’s interesting that today’s lecture was about the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, but some of the week’s readings were about Spain losing what it once had. For example, it was surprising to read about Spain now being one of the least religious countries in Europe after coming back from a lecture in which we heard about the efforts to create Christian hegemony. It was also unexpected to see Spain’s attempt to make amends with Jewish descendants of those that were expelled during the inquisition, since I have a stereotype of Spain as Christian fanatics. But the article does question why the same amends are not being attempted with descendants of Muslims that were expelled. It’s a very complex issue, but I see a connection to last week’s article about the burka. I think that the exclusion of Muslim people stems from modern Islamophobia that deems all Muslims potential terrorists, but might also be a remnant of the idea that Muslims were not true Spaniards and that Al Andalus had to be “taken back.”
I found the article regarding Morocco picking a fight with Spain to be of particular interest. I find it surprising that there is still a significant amount of disputes about the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla. The fact that Morocco utilized a blockade to prevent basic commodities such as fish and other staples from arriving in Spain is quite alarming, but indeed signals the onset of a new type of political aggression in the modern world. Instead of engaging in traditional means of diplomacy such as sitting down and commencing political dialogue, Morocco has resorted to petty tactics that are truly nothing more than an inconvenience to Spain. This isn't the first time though, that other countries or enemies have taken advantage of a week Spain. Professor Torrecilla mentioned in his lecture today that the creation of various Taifa kingdoms (fifteen minor independently ruled kingdoms) distributed the power among the kingdoms. This lack of unity made the Taifa kingdoms easy targets for the Christians with Toledo, Zaragoza, and Seville paying tribute to Alfonso VI of Castile and Leon.
“Spain is one of the least religious places in Europe, in terms of seeing the church as a guide for moral values.” (NPR, 2011) As a result, Pope Benedict XVI has made Spain one of the most common places of visit during his tour of the European continent. NPR mentions that it is his attempt at “reconquest.” Would this method of reconquest be meaningful and effective? I believe that the effectiveness of such an awakening of a religion in a community that has chosen not to practice is not achieved through the making of events like these. It requires a deeper unit of understanding and education about religion. In a society becoming more and more educated and conscious on societal problems, the significance of religious practices and festivities are not a priority. Also, the fact that events such as Youth World Day cost millions of dollars, Spaniards are not happy. Many believers retaliate with the argument that the events like these are only a benefit to the economy because of the amount of tourist revenue coming in. There are many implications that arise with events such as these just like executive decisions that pertain to a certain group that can have retaliation within other groups, such as the decision of the Spanish government to grant automatic citizenship to Jewish descendants affected by the 1492 inquisition. As a result, Muslim descendants of those Muslims expelled from Spain in the Middle Ages are expecting to be granted the same. Many repercussions come with such executive decision. Some believe that it is segregating these communities and showing discrimination of the Muslim community. There may be talk about the difference in situations because of the manner in which they expelled. However, would part of this difference be influenced by the 9/11 occurrences? It might be too soon to tell since the decision was made in November of last year. Maybe in the near future there will be talk about granting the same for these Muslims.
The Iberian Peninsula has gone through several changes in its time, whether it was a king, borders between kingdoms, or introducing a new culture. Once one of the conquering rulers decided to incorporate their religion and architecture; that was the moment when Spain developed. Although most of the people in the Iberian Peninsula were from Celtic and Iberian origins, soon the influxes of the Romans and Muslims that was clearly a key factor in the role of Spain’s development in society, culture, art, and many other aspects. The fight for land and the ownership of their territory by nationalists, like the Portuguese, are remnants of the past that gave Spain its borders with Portugal. The Moroccans are seen today with the same fighting spirit that the Portuguese had then, so we can assume that history will repeat itself in the Moroccan’s favor for sovereignty
In the article, "Why is Morocco picking a Fight with Spain?" I found that it was an extension of the existing historical conflict of Spanish Identity. Cueta and Melilla on the border of both countries finds itself at stoppages of imports and exports between the two because of transnational dispute. Both Morocco and Spain feel that they have entitlement to the land. Spain has "owned" it for 500 years but Moroccan life and culture is evident within the land and both feel the need to retain it. There has been relations and negotiations in order to improve the sentiment and carry out results but change has not occurred as some violent outbreaks have surged. In relation to what we have learned thus far, I believe this is a glimpse of what is to define Spanish culture and all the events and history that shape that identity. Much Jews and Muslims in the conflict in Israel, Spain and Morocco's entitlement to the land represent a sociopolitical and religion problematic issue. I would like to follow up to see what has occurred since the article was published as it was released 3 years. Has conflict risen or declined? have relationships improved amongst both factions?
I find the article, “Muslims Angered by Spain’s Granting Sephardic Jews Path to Citizenship,” the most intriguing in regards to our topic in lectures. Right now we are going through the Muslim Invasion. Torrecilla speaks about three important invasions and this is the last that he mentions in lecture. After the Visigothic period, there was a Muslim invasion that challenged Christianity and the united Iberian peninsula. During our first lecture of the class, Torrecilla stated how in the Middle Ages, Jewish was the center of the culture. I find it remarkably interesting because the article explains the anger faced by the Muslims due to Spain’s action of granting Jews a path to citizenship. The fact that we have just learned that the Muslims invaded the Iberian Peninsula and that the Jews were the center culture without any invasions occurring, signifies how it’s possible that they would be treated differently in the end. In lecture, the Jews helped to fight alongside the Muslims because the Jews were persecuted before by the Visigoths. By mentioning the past interaction between the Muslims and the Jews, it’s funny that the Muslims are angered by the privilege that the Jews were given, although they had helped them in the past. It’s always possible that the Jews will help them once more and help give them the opportunity to be citizens as well. History doesn’t repeat but it is repetitive in structure right? I have no clue.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading across the articles, I was shocked by the changing times and how different things are now from in the past. For example, after the Christian Reconquest of Spain, the country has retained a strict form of Catholicism for several hundred years. It was surprise to find out how secular this country has become since then (Spain is one of the least religious countries in Europe now). People have been brought up as Atheist so the role of religion has diminished in Spain and thus the people protest the arrival of the Pope. One major factor that I think are affecting the religious fervor could be the economic woes that have people worrying. In regards to the article about Muslims angered by Spain granting citizenship to descendants of expelled Jews during the 1492 Inquisition, I believe Spain should grant the same rights to Muslims because it wouldn’t be fair. After all, the Christians did have to incorporate both Jews and Muslims into their society after the conquest of Toledo. Next, Spain and Portugal has always been rivals since Portugal fought for its independence from Castile-Leon. However, in recent times people on both sides are supporting a union between the two countries and I am in support of this as well because they could benefit from each other instead of fighting.
ReplyDeleteI am responding to the article about the relationship between Spain and Portugal. It fascinates me that these two countries lie side by side, but barely associate with one another. These countries basically began as one, united by the Iberian culture. However, with the reconquest and many wars throughout history, they became separate by an imaginary border. In lecture, it is mentioned that between the 11th and 13th centuries, Castile attempted to unify Spain and Portugal into one Iberian entity; however, Portugal fought hard for their independence. So since then, these two countries diverged in culture, customs and institutions but Portugal always trailed Spain. I understand how this could cause bitterness toward the neighbor, especially since they are so often compared. When I went to Portugal (while staying in Spain) I definitely noticed a change in attitude and atmosphere while there; it just seemed more dismal and less crowded. But that also could have been because of the gloomy weather. Furthermore, it was quite interesting that almost 11 centuries later, the old concept of reunification of the Iberian peninsula is a hot topic. It would be really strange if Portugal and Spain became one country, for it has been two for centuries. But with the failing economies in both Spain and Portugal, a reunification may be key in staying afloat. I don't know what effects this would have on the national identities of Iberians, but I'm sure they would learn to accept the change if it meant prosperity and improved conditions.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the articles assigned for this week and learning about the influence of religion in Iberian history in lecture, I was fascinated to hear more about the move towards secularism in Spain. The conquest of the Iberian Peninsula by the Muslims and then the Christians forever changed Hispania; the caliphate united the Iberian Peninsula for the first time and brought Islam to the area. The Christian re-conquest of the peninsula and subsequent hegemony began the partnership between the Catholic church and the state. Since the re-conquest, Spain has been known as a largely Catholic state and has welcomed the Pope on numerous occasions. Although I knew that many countries have become increasingly secular in the last 30 or so years, I was shocked to learn about the protests surrounding one of the Pope’s most recent visits to Spain on World Youth Day. Religion is beginning to play a smaller and smaller role in lives of Spanish citizens and, thus, the Catholic Church has attempted to reestablish its presence and influence in the area (exemplified by the Pope’s somewhat frequent visits to Spain). It will be interesting to see how the situation develops over the next decade.
ReplyDeleteBased on the readings for this week, I still think that Spain is a country of different people where they should accept and convivir in peace with muslims and jews. Spain should give muslims, as well as jews, spanish citizenship because they have the same right. They have ancestors that lived in spain and currently live there just like the jews. Even if the have a different religion they are still part of the country. Spain needs to make peace with every group that makes up the country in order to be prosperous and live in peace. I also believe that the visits from the pope to spain are intended to try to bring up the faith and have a strong catholic population in the country since there are other strong religions. Since I am catholic, I don't like the fact that there are manifestations against the visit of the pope to the country. I believe that each group should respect the other in order to gain the respect back. I understand that ideals have been changing over time and now abortion and gay marriage are legal and i think it is good because it lets people do what they want. REgarding the last article I think there should be a more closely relationship between Portugal and Spain since they are both Iberians and not try to be different.
ReplyDeleteBeing an avid soccer fan, the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Spain is the FC Barcelona soccer team. However, when I think of Spain I also think of Catholicism and Spain being strongly united under this religion. Therefore, upon reading the article “Pope Visits a Changing Spain,” it startled me that in recent decades the role of religion in Spain has changed greatly resulting in Spain now being one of the least religious places in Europe. However, coincidently, just like from the 11th to the 13th centuries the “Reconquista” took place in Spain and Christian kingdoms reconquered the Iberian Peninsula from Islamic kingdoms, in the article Jose Ignacio Wert, a Spanish sociologist, shared that the Pope’s frequent visits to Spain are an attempt for a “reconquest” like in the past. Nevertheless, what I feel has truly changed Spain’s role of religion has been the influence of other people like Muslims and Jews. As the article “Muslims Angered by Spain’s Granting Sephardic Jews Path to Citizenship,” mentions, Sephardic Jews could get Spanish citizenship after living in Spain for two years and the Spanish government was planning on granting automatic citizenship to descendants of Jews expelled from Spain in the 1492 Inquisition. This article clearly exemplifies that Spain has become a country with a variety of religions and people and that these religions’ influence thus have weakened Spain’s Catholic unity making it more secular nowadays.
ReplyDeleteSpain's discrete hostile treatment toward present Muslims is reminiscent of the ties that continue to evoke tension. In the article that expressed Muslims anger towards Spain's accomodations to grant citizenship to Jews has spiraled tensions once again. It seems to me that Spain has sympathy for the Jews that seemed abused by both Spanish and Muslim fanatics and have been the spectators victimized throughout history. The fact that Spain's culture has been influenced by Muslim culture, giving them that power of citizenship would be somewhat giving them power and so by alienating them it would once again reiterate they have control. Spain's attempt to compensate Jews has been seen as a discrete insult to Muslims, and could potentially harm future important relations with Muslim cultures.
ReplyDeleteThe readings of Week 3 were very interesting to me because they directly reflect the history of the Iberian Peninsula. This week and a big part of last week, lecture was basically focused on two religions fighting over the Iberian Peninsula. In the article about the Pope’s visit to Spain, we see that religion is still a very interesting part of Spain. However, the article shows that it is the dis-interest of religion in Spain that is getting attention. Spain is said to now be one of the least religious countries in Europe. The article states that the pope visits Spain often to try to “re-conquest” it. In addition, the article about Spain granting citizenship to Jews and not Muslims can be traced to the myth of “La Pérdida de España.” This implied that Muslims are not Spaniards, which can explain why today the Muslims are not given citizenship. Personally, I am very confused as to why the Jews are being given citizenship and not the Muslims. I would think that they would both get it or neither of them would get it. Similar to one of the readings from Week 2, this reading ends with the question of whether the Muslims deserve an apology for being expelled in the 15th century. In my opinion, unlike the case of the Native Americans and the Americans, the Muslims were not and invaded and robbed of their land. On the contrary, the Muslims were the invaders. I do not believe they deserve an apology.
ReplyDeleteThe articles this week were interesting because they related to the topics of conquest and outside influence on the Iberian peninsula, which we have been focusing on in class. After the Roman, Visigoth, and Muslim invasions in the Iberian Peninsula there was a change in the conflict in Iberia. Now what mattered was the religions that would be established and grow there. Last week in section we discussed reparations that Spain has given to the Muslims because of their historically unfair treatment towards the Muslims. In the article this week about the Sephardic Jews gaining citizenship, it says that Muslims too are now demanding instant citizenship to any descendants of Muslims who were expelled from Spain in 1492. It seems that any special treatment toward a religious group ignites conflict from another side, like the Muslims who are angered by the Jewish people gaining citizenship. I don’t know what a better solution could be, but I found it remarkable how difficult it must be to satisfy every religious group inhabiting an area. Another article that made interesting points on religion was the article about the Pope visiting Spain, in the hopes to awaken Catholic roots in Spain. As the Muslims, Jews, and other religions face difficulty in Spain, Catholicism struggles, too, just to re-plant roots in a nation where it used to be so dominant.
ReplyDeleteIn the article “Pope Visits a changing Spain”, Lauren Frayer describes Spain as “much more secular” and rejecting of the Catholic religion. This description greatly contrasts the once fanatic and dominant Christian faith. It was really interesting to see not only the lack of faith but the active rejection of it. The majority of the people attending the Catholic event were from outside of Spain and protests opposing Pope Benedict XVI’s arrival to the country demonstrate to what extent people have come to resist Catholicism. Compared to the Crusades where Christianity went hand in hand with the military and life itself during, the Spain of today doesn’t believe in God anymore. Similarly interesting was Spanish sociologist Jose Ignacio Wert’s opinion of the pope’s visit. He describes it as an attempt at “reconquest”, where if we recall a “reconquest” was the purpose of the Crusades in the 11th-13th century.
ReplyDeleteAlexis Aguila
ReplyDelete703929757
Historical events create the present and allude to the future. In the past what is formally known, as Portugal was once a part of Spain. Portugal separated and gained independence for a number of reasons. As of now the two countries have an estranged relationship. The past history of these two countries once being united has a lot to do with how they interact with one another today. Portugal feels betrayed that Spain did not bail it out, while Europe was going through financial turmoil. Portugal felt that it was obligatory of Spain to assist them in their economic offset. Some feel that Portugal and Spain should have never split, on account of their various similarities such as their language and their geography. Many Portugal have national pride for their neighbors, which does not let them develop their national identity. Both countries were once united under the Iberian Peninsula, but chances are slim that they will ever united again.
This week's reading centers around how Christian hegemony began in the Iberian peninsula starting with the victory in Toledo by the Christian kingdoms. As Muslim rule begins to fade in the beginning of the 11th century, a series of "reconquest" begins to emerge from the kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, and Portugal. Spanish identity begins to take shape influenced by the motive of Christianizing all of the Iberian Peninsula (and later this applies to the New World and the Americas). It is interesting to see the rise of Spain as a superpower in its early stages as opposed to its downfall in modern days as not equivalent to the rest of the European states, in terms of respect, economy, and power. Morocco demonstrates this by organizing blockades of food and staples to Spain's enclaves of Ceuta and Merilla. Moreover, the cultural landscape of modern Spain has drastically changed over the past few decades into a more secular state. The protests against the Pope show that Spain is not the once ideal Christian/Catholic country it used to be because of the many religious group that live in the Peninsula, especially due to the large population of Muslims. This lack of unity on a single religion is not an issue in my opinion; however the need to protest a visit from the pope is an issue that Spain needs to address because the freedom to practice your own religion should be tolerated, without protests from other groups.
ReplyDeleteSpanish 42- Blog post 2
ReplyDeleteThis week in lecture, we had a closer look at the Visigothic Period and the Germanic invasions of Spain as well as the Muslim Invasion and the Christian Reconquest. Given that history proves the Iberian Peninsula?s ever-existing social and political turmoil, it is not at all alarming that the situation?in what is now known as Spain?continues to be problematic. As learned in lecture, the Germanic Invasions allowed the Visigothic kingdom to flourish and take-over the Roman rule in the Iberian Peninsula. During this time, the persecution of Catholics was clearly evident and the Jewish community was suffering from being forced to convert. When the Muslims performed their invasion, the peninsula suffered much of the same fate whilst introducing a new confrontation between the Arab world and the Latin world. Although Muslims did not force conversion, many Christians and Jews had to pay a tax and were not seen as legal equals to their Muslim counterparts. Relative to this week?s readings, we are given an insight to how different Spain has become and to many social and political strains the country is facing in actuality. The article that most interested me was the one with respect to Spain?s granting Sephardic Jews a path towards Citizenship. Since Spain has decided to grant citizenship to Jewish descendants that had been expelled from the country in the 1492 Inquisition, I cannot help but question as to why Muslims are demanding that Spain grant their expelled descendants immediate citizenship. Since Muslims were never ?natives? of Spain, I feel that it is rather trivial for them to ask for citizenship from a country they once conquered. Since Muslims have become rather aggravated by this recent ruling, it is intimidating to think that Muslims could go as far as threatening Spain to favor their population; or perhaps, is it possible that they may be envious that the Jewish were granted citizenship rights and they were not? In any case, the Muslim population in Spain does not look too content; matters should definitely be addressed in order to prevent further tensions from escalating.
José Alberto Rojas
The article in TIME magazine about the Morrocans defying the Spanish is a very clear example of the tension between Spain and Morroco, or many parts of Africa for that matter. The not allowing of products to cross over into the Morrocan border is justified by the Morrocans saying that the Spanish are "white racists". This is a response in protest of the Morrocan inmigrants who were mistreated by Spanish officials. Beyond that however, we can see that Spain still has those feelings of superiority, and like professor Torrecilla said, the Spanish( and the moors and others before them) were categorized as proud, arrogant people. The Morrocans are at more liberty to do this now thanks to the economic crisis that Spain faces, and perhaps that is also damaging to the morale of the proud Spanish. Nevertheless, Spain is facing a small problem that could get uglier quickly, and they must resolve it to keep their reputation( and hard earned) as a world power
ReplyDeleteAfter today's lecture on the Reconquest, one of this week's readings made more sense on how it tied in to the class. Professor Torrecilla talked about the Christian reconquest of the southern part of Spain. It seemed that although the Christians were not as unified as the Muslims, they still managed to unite themselves to expel the Muslims from Spain. The article on the Pope visiting Spain and how the country is now more secular than Christian seemed to give a parallel story to the reconquest and it's interesting that someone called the Pope's visit a "reconquest." The church is once again trying to have everyone living in this country have the same religion, they can't accept that many people can live together without having the same beliefs, just like they couldn't accept the Muslims even though they allowed people of other religions to live amongst them peacefully, and without forcing them to convert. It's been more than 1000 years after the reconquest started, when most people had to be Christian to live in Spain, and the religion has changed again. If the church were to try to change everyone back to Catholicism, eventually people will once again change their beliefs just like they have done now.
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting that today’s lecture was about the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, but some of the week’s readings were about Spain losing what it once had. For example, it was surprising to read about Spain now being one of the least religious countries in Europe after coming back from a lecture in which we heard about the efforts to create Christian hegemony. It was also unexpected to see Spain’s attempt to make amends with Jewish descendants of those that were expelled during the inquisition, since I have a stereotype of Spain as Christian fanatics. But the article does question why the same amends are not being attempted with descendants of Muslims that were expelled. It’s a very complex issue, but I see a connection to last week’s article about the burka. I think that the exclusion of Muslim people stems from modern Islamophobia that deems all Muslims potential terrorists, but might also be a remnant of the idea that Muslims were not true Spaniards and that Al Andalus had to be “taken back.”
ReplyDeleteI found the article regarding Morocco picking a fight with Spain to be of particular interest. I find it surprising that there is still a significant amount of disputes about the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla. The fact that Morocco utilized a blockade to prevent basic commodities such as fish and other staples from arriving in Spain is quite alarming, but indeed signals the onset of a new type of political aggression in the modern world. Instead of engaging in traditional means of diplomacy such as sitting down and commencing political dialogue, Morocco has resorted to petty tactics that are truly nothing more than an inconvenience to Spain. This isn't the first time though, that other countries or enemies have taken advantage of a week Spain. Professor Torrecilla mentioned in his lecture today that the creation of various Taifa kingdoms (fifteen minor independently ruled kingdoms) distributed the power among the kingdoms. This lack of unity made the Taifa kingdoms easy targets for the Christians with Toledo, Zaragoza, and Seville paying tribute to Alfonso VI of Castile and Leon.
ReplyDelete“Spain is one of the least religious places in Europe, in terms of seeing the church as a guide for moral values.” (NPR, 2011) As a result, Pope Benedict XVI has made Spain one of the most common places of visit during his tour of the European continent. NPR mentions that it is his attempt at “reconquest.” Would this method of reconquest be meaningful and effective? I believe that the effectiveness of such an awakening of a religion in a community that has chosen not to practice is not achieved through the making of events like these. It requires a deeper unit of understanding and education about religion. In a society becoming more and more educated and conscious on societal problems, the significance of religious practices and festivities are not a priority. Also, the fact that events such as Youth World Day cost millions of dollars, Spaniards are not happy. Many believers retaliate with the argument that the events like these are only a benefit to the economy because of the amount of tourist revenue coming in. There are many implications that arise with events such as these just like executive decisions that pertain to a certain group that can have retaliation within other groups, such as the decision of the Spanish government to grant automatic citizenship to Jewish descendants affected by the 1492 inquisition. As a result, Muslim descendants of those Muslims expelled from Spain in the Middle Ages are expecting to be granted the same. Many repercussions come with such executive decision. Some believe that it is segregating these communities and showing discrimination of the Muslim community. There may be talk about the difference in situations because of the manner in which they expelled. However, would part of this difference be influenced by the 9/11 occurrences? It might be too soon to tell since the decision was made in November of last year. Maybe in the near future there will be talk about granting the same for these Muslims.
ReplyDeleteYvette De la Cruz
The Iberian Peninsula has gone through several changes in its time, whether it was a king, borders between kingdoms, or introducing a new culture. Once one of the conquering rulers decided to incorporate their religion and architecture; that was the moment when Spain developed. Although most of the people in the Iberian Peninsula were from Celtic and Iberian origins, soon the influxes of the Romans and Muslims that was clearly a key factor in the role of Spain’s development in society, culture, art, and many other aspects. The fight for land and the ownership of their territory by nationalists, like the Portuguese, are remnants of the past that gave Spain its borders with Portugal. The Moroccans are seen today with the same fighting spirit that the Portuguese had then, so we can assume that history will repeat itself in the Moroccan’s favor for sovereignty
ReplyDeleteIn the article, "Why is Morocco picking a Fight with Spain?" I found that it was an extension of the existing historical conflict of Spanish Identity. Cueta and Melilla on the border of both countries finds itself at stoppages of imports and exports between the two because of transnational dispute. Both Morocco and Spain feel that they have entitlement to the land. Spain has "owned" it for 500 years but Moroccan life and culture is evident within the land and both feel the need to retain it. There has been relations and negotiations in order to improve the sentiment and carry out results but change has not occurred as some violent outbreaks have surged. In relation to what we have learned thus far, I believe this is a glimpse of what is to define Spanish culture and all the events and history that shape that identity. Much Jews and Muslims in the conflict in Israel, Spain and Morocco's entitlement to the land represent a sociopolitical and religion problematic issue. I would like to follow up to see what has occurred since the article was published as it was released 3 years. Has conflict risen or declined? have relationships improved amongst both factions?
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