The denial of Muslim assimilation into Christian Spain served both religions’ defensive myths

Evidence

In al-Andalus, tact and diplomacy reign. In 969 John of Gorze, monk and emissary of emperor Otto I, came to Córdoba hoping to win a martyr’s crown. He brought letters in which Otto attacked Islam. The Cordovan Christians managed to cool John’s suicidal ardor and convince him not to deliver his incendiary letters. In the following centuries, Mozarab Christians sought to defend their place in the dâr al-Islâm rather than questioning or attacking it. Martyrdom, it seems, had lost its charm. — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 552 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Spanish Christians under Muslim rule forged anti-Islam polemics for the same reasons; Cordoba House referenced Muslim Spain’s era of interfaith coexistence; Early modern Spain alternately demanded Muslim assimilation and then rejected it once achieved (+9 more)

Broader Connections

• Christians under Muslim rule in Spain shifted from martyr-seeking to pragmatic accommodation #complicates (0.74) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 552
• Expelled Spanish Muslims could reinvent themselves across both sides of the Mediterranean #complicates (0.72)