Riccoldo alleged the Baghdad caliph banned philosophy to protect the Koran.

Evidence

Here he resolves this apparent contradiction by bringing two elements together, making the founding of madrasas into a clever anti-intellectual ploy: the point of having government-funded educational institutes, he tries to make his reader believe, is precisely to squelch philosophical reading and speculation by assuring that only the Koran is read and taught, not any philosophical texts that will contradict it. — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1268 (#exemplifies, via linked claim)

Their wise men began to execrate the perversity of their law. Since this law could be eliminated either through the books of the prophets, by the law of Moses, or even by the veracious books of the philosophers, therefore the Caliph of Baghdad ordered that nothing should be studied in Baghdad except the Koran. For this reason, we find that they know very little about the truth of theology or the subtlety of philosophy. Nevertheless, their wise men put no faith in the sayings of the Koran, but deride it in secret. In public, though, they honor it, on account of their fear of others. — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1252 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The Baghdad caliph banned philosophy out of fear it would undermine the Koran; Riccoldo reframed Baghdad’s madrasas as deliberate anti-intellectual censorship. — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1268; A caliph allegedly banned non-Koranic study because philosophy would undermine Islam’s truth — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1252 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Riccoldo reframed Baghdad’s madrasas as deliberate anti-intellectual censorship. #exemplifies (1.00) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1268
• The Baghdad caliph banned philosophy out of fear it would undermine the Koran #qualifies (0.95)
• A caliph allegedly banned non-Koranic study because philosophy would undermine Islam’s truth #expands (0.95) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1252
• Riccoldo read the Koran as unwitting Christian testimony requiring no conversion #complicates (0.85) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1269
• Riccoldo’s ‘irrational Koran’ charge originated in Latin polemic and still echoes today #complicates (0.75) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1264
• Medieval critics faulted the Qur’an for violating Aristotelian reason. #complicates (0.70) — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 357
• Peter the Venerable framed Islam’s debate ban as irrational sheep-like counsel #complicates (0.70) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 857