Trying to find a knowledgeable source on Islam? Not easy is it?

I noticed an ad on the back page of Chronicles magazine regarding a talk to given by Dario Fernandez-Morera at the Rockford Institute on Islam and his new book The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise-Muslims Christians and Jews under Islamic Rule in Medieval Spain. If I had more vacation time available I would have gone. I bought the book instead.

The author begins with caveats, one being that his research and presentation deal only with the Islam of medieval times roughly 750 to 1250 AD. The last vestiges Islamic influence leaving Spain in 1492. One is left to their own conclusions regarding any carryover of the Islamic paradise into modern times.

Chapters and subsections generally begin with a quote from an academic describing various forms of supposed Islamic nirvana. The author then presents a rebuttal based on the writings of Islamic and infidel historians of the time. Archaeological evidence is presented that often refutes the politically correct story.

Andalusian Jihadists were supposedly quite tolerant of other cultures and created a climate of peace, love, harmony and cultural renaissance. Rainbows and unicorns. Today’s apologists claim jihad is not about war but is more akin to missionary work. Wrong then, wrong now. Read the rest of this entry »