Religious institutions were instruments of imperial political consolidation, not faith

Evidence

The Spanish Empire was built on a Catholic Christian identity, which served as an ideological means to overcome regional differences. In 1483 Isabella and Ferdinand established the Inquisition under their control, with Rome’s permission. While the Catholic monarchs were undoubtedly devout Catholics, religious zeal alone does not explain their actions. Rather, as historian J. H. Elliot argues, the “establishment of the Inquisition throughout Spain had obvious political advantages, in that it helped to further the cause of Spanish unity by deepening the sense of common purpose.” For the monarchy, the Inquisition was a means to bring together the new empire of Spain consisting of a wide variety of people—Castilians, Aragonians, and others—in a collective mission under the banner of religion. … The Inquisition was a product of political and economic interests couched in a religious idiom. … In this context, Muslims and Jews became inassimilable others. Conversion was no longer available as a means to escape systematic discrimination. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 117

Categorization

• XREF: Directly parallels the central thesis of the vault cluster (Aziz/Razack/Rana) that post-9/11 Islamophobia is imperial policy expressed in cultural/religious idiom — this Spanish case is the historical template. — connects to: Colonial administration made Muslim religious leaders instruments of imperial rule; Muslim empires separated religious from political authority from their start.; Classical Islam recognized one religious-political power rather than a church-state division — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans: Interpreting…, 1474 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Colonial administration made Muslim religious leaders instruments of imperial rule #exemplifies (0.95)
• Muslim empires separated religious from political authority from their start. #contradicts (0.85)
• Imperial growth and academic study of Islam collaborated to legitimise power #corroborates (0.85) — Chris Allen, Islamophobia, 187
• Classical Islam recognized one religious-political power rather than a church-state division #contradicts (0.80) — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1474
• Early Islamic empire required separating clerical from political authority #contradicts (0.80) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 322
• Political and religious authority separated de facto within the early Muslim empires #contradicts (0.80) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 318