After reading about the travels of Fr. Ilyas as well as al-Ghassani, discuss your impressions. What impacted you about the travels of an Iraqi priest into the Americas, or about a Moroccan wazir through Spain?
How do their travels challenge, revise, and/or amend your understanding of the Age of Exploration?
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11 comments:
I am amazed by just how peaceful al-Ghassani's account of the Spanish travels is. The age of exploration always creates an image of soldiers on horseback, of conquistadors. But this was so conqueror, this was a diplomatic negotiator. It seems that every conversation held on this journey consisted mainly of compliments and apologies. This passage greatly changes my opinion of this entire age, giving it a much more reasonable, humane feel. Also, it still feels quite strange to read this point of view. It feels a little like watching a foreign news channel. Although Matar says that al-Ghassani never came to fully like Spain or the Spanish in the passage's introduction, the account shows a moderate appreciation for the manners of the Spaniards on a specific basis. As I mentioned before, both the Spanish and the traveling Muslims seem to constantly be greeting and apologizing, something that surprised me. On the whole, I found the account of these travels surprisingly pleasant.
I read the account of al-Ghassani's trip to recover captives. I am surprised that he spent so much time describing the daily workings of the "christian lands" but he did not write at all about the captives, their conditions, or his worries for their health and safety. obviously he was trying to maintain a diplomatic angle while still exposing the corruption he saw in the church. he went into much detail about the kings and queens and the current drama surrounding the throne. he spent much time describing the church and its corruption; however, he did not say anything derogatory about the doctrine of christianity itself which is something that christians have not done in relations to the muslims (as evidence in our bible class today). anyway, i respect the fact that although he was displeased with the body of the church and the clergy themselves he had respect for the god behind them and Christianity itself.
Al-Ghassani's account of his trip to Spain is very thorough and detailed. He gives distances and relative sizes of places and also provides enough details to distingiush between the cities they visisted. Interestinly enough, he doesn't say much about the captives. In all, they're only described in 13 lines when he's talking about his visit to Cadiz. Instead, he focuses on the interactions between his group and the governors and diplomats, or he's talking about the city or landscape. I found this account to be, like daniel said, pleasant, and very respectful. I was expecting something like "Death to Infidels" or "May God Destroy Them" throughout the whole account. I think he mentions that like twice only. I found it quite disconcerting that whenever you read Christian accounts of Muslims they're always being derogatory and just plain mean. There's usually no respect whatsoever. I think this account really alters my view of the Age of Exploration by revealing a new element of the Muslims' character and beliefs.
In looking at Ilyas’ travels, I found it interesting that he crosses paths with other historical events that were going simultaneously. For example, when he was crossing the Atlantic Ocean he came upon an English ship carrying about 700 slaves. Another example occurs when he travels to the West Indies; he sees a French boat on the coast of the island of Tortuga, and he comments that this was time of the French and Spanish war.
Furthermore, Ilyas’ journeys offer more first hand experiences about the foreign countries he visited. He gives detailed descriptions of the different cultures he saw, which gives us a broader understanding of the peoples’ daily life and customs of that time.
The descriptive and detailed account given by Al-Ghassani illustrates an alternate perspective in historical narrative. In his trip to Spain, he documented many minute details, such as magnitude and atmosphere, enlightening the reader with a real sense of the place which was observed. This account, while detailed, is vague in its description of the trip to Cadiz and the captives. His document is respectful and curious, full of admiration for different aspects of foreign society. I can’t make a value judgment on the account of one traveler, but it seems he has a different perspective than the typical Muslim stereotype. All told, I think Christianity and Islam are equally potent forces in stirring prejudice, what that intolerance leads to seems to vary with generation and experience.
Daniel, your comment that reading al-Ghassani is like watching a foreign news channel is interesting. Please elaborate more; that's a really good way to put it.
Xeris, why don't you think al-Ghassani was more critical? Did his diplomatic mission make this necessary, or do you think it is a reflection of his faith convictions? Please elaborate on this fine point you make.
David, good observations; you seem to be surprised by the same things Xeris is regarding Muslim perspectives on Christians, so I ask you the same question I posted to Xeris: Did his diplomatic mission make this necessary, or do you think it is a reflection of his faith convictions?
Kaylin, I could easliy make a pun with your "crossing paths" comment (remember, Fr. Illyas was a priest), but I'll wait until class; you seem intrigued by his encounters with/participation in other historical events of the time. Nice observation; please elaborate more on this point.
John, interesting points you make. I want to hear more about this comment: "I think Christianity and Islam are equally potent forces in stirring prejudice, what that intolerance leads to seems to vary with generation and experience." What, in your opinion, accounts for changes between generations and/or experiences? Please elaborate.
It was really interesting reading about the travels of Fr. Ilyas. I agree with Kaylin in that it was interesting to see different historical events together at the same time. I had never even considered the fact that other countries outside of Europe traveled to America. I liked hearing Ilyas’ opinions on America since up until this point I have only heard opinions by Europeans. Ilyas never stated why he traveled to America, maybe it was for diplomatic motives or maybe it was for a desire to spread Catholicism. After reading this document I have a better understanding of the fact that the Age of Exploration pertained not only to European countries but also to other countries outside of Europe. –Meagan Smith
caroline.
The journey of al-Ghassani into Spain opened my eyes to the fact that other people existed in the world at the time of the Age of Exploration besides Europeans. It seems as if all of the history books I've been taught from were written by Europeans or from a European point of view. It was very enlightening to see a different perspective. It changed my view of Muslims.
Glad Matar's work engaged you. Explain *how* it revised and amended your views.
As was Daniel, I am stunned at how 'peaceful,' or respectful, rather, al-Ghassani is towards the Christians. It seems as though we are constantly bombarded with the thoughts that Muslims are tolerant of every religion except for Christianity and that ALL Muslims hate ALL Christians. But in reading this narrative, the basic interpretation of a Muslim stereotype is shot. Al-Ghassani focuses on pleasant things and writes only positively about the 'Christian Lands.' It gives me such joy when respect is exhibited in contrasting culture accounts (Does that make sense? I guess I am trying to say that I really like it when someone is respectful when they don't need to be and are not expected to be.). Also, this shows how the Age of Exploration was not the Europeans exploring; it was all nations seeking knowledge and understanding of the world around them, of lands never before seen.
This reading most definitely challenged my view on Muslim character during this Age of Exploration. al-Ghassani did discuss the corruption of areas of Spain, specifically the church, and he did detail shortcomings, but his words were predominately peaceful and they showed appreciation. He seemed to respect the Spanish ideas even when he didn't agree with them, and this challenges my previous opinions on Christian-Muslim relations of this time period. His words could have been different from his thoughts, as they may have been solely motivated by hopes for peaceful diplomacy between the cultures. But even if this were so, it shows more effort and thought involved in the relationship than I previously realized. His extreme detail of the system of government mirrors his interest, and through his respect of the Spanish state, I gained respect for him and the Muslim culture of the time.
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