If ever you travel through Southern Italy you will notice that the people there have darker eyes and more olive coloured skin than their Northern compatriots in Milan or Venice. This is hardly surprising, since in former times there was a major Arab presence in the south of Italy. Nowhere was this more so than in Sicily, where the Arabs ruled the island for centuries. Indeed, at one time in its history, “asalaamu alaykum” would have been a more normal greeting amongst Sicilians than “buon giorno”. The Arab conquest of Sicily took place in stages, starting with raids from North Africa in the seventh and eight centuries. In fact, the first attack came from the forces of Caliph Uthman in 652. By the end of the seventh century, the whole of North Africa had become a part of the Islamic empire and the port city of Carthage could be used for future raids. By the Battle of Taormina, the invasion was completed by 902. The Normans were to conquer the island in 1061, but until that time Sicily was Arab and Arabic was the predominant language spoken. In fact, even after the Normans had set up their government they continued to use Arabic, since it was the language of the people. Even when Arabic had ceased to be widely spoken, it was still used with Latin and Greek within the legal system. Traces of the Arabic language can even be found in spoken Sicilian today. Wherever they went, the Normans were great builders and they continued this legacy in Sicily, adapting Norman and Islamic styles to produce some beautiful buildings. They continued to use Arab architects. Even today, the red domes over much of Palermo are a legacy from the Arab past. Perhaps the greatest gem survives to this day in the magnificent Cathedral at Monreale, just outside Palermo. Nowadays, the church is a national monument of Italy and one of the most important attractions of Sicily. Palermo had been a great trading port under the Greeks, but it had declined under Roman rule. The city saw a renaissance under the Arabs until, by the end of Arab rule, Palermo was one of the largest cities in Europe, second only to Cordoba. Under the Arabs, the local bishop had moved his residence from Palermo to a small village outside, and there he used a small church as his cathedral. With the arrival of the Normans, they first used the village, Monreale, as a hunting lodge and then, over time, it grew in importance. The Norman King, William II, founded a Benedictine monastery here and began to embellish the church. Built between 1174 and 1185, the Cathedral of Monreale was to become one of the world's most magnificent. Whilst on the outside, the Cathedral of Monreale is built in a very plain Arabo-Norman style, the interior is quite splendid, a riot of decoration. The mosaics, which cover the walls and ceiling, are some of the most beautiful in the world. Greatly added to over time, the Cathedral of Monreale is still a very prayerful and majestic place. It speaks not only of royalty, but of simple faith. In this, Muslim and Christian on the island share something very precious. Apart, too, from some of the magnificent architectural legacy, the Arabs also played a major part in agricultural reform in the island. By introducing small holdings rather than large landed estates, the people were not only set free from domination by wealthy families, but the land also became more productive. With increased irrigation, the Arabs were also able to introduce new crops to the island. Oranges, lemons, pistachio nuts and sugarcane were introduced to Sicily. Incidentally, the Arabs also introduced pasta! Wherever their presence was felt, Arab heritage was very strong. In the fields of mathematics, astronomy, medicine, cartography and poetry the Muslims excelled. It has often been said that when London and Paris were merely a collection of mud and thatch dwellings, Cordoba in Southern Spain was one of the most refined cities in the world. As well as having a majority of Muslims on the island, there was continued religious freedom and so Sicily continued to have Catholics, Greek speaking Christians and even a large number of Jews. That these groups continued to exist when the Normans invaded is proof that there was no systematic forced conversion to Islam, as some pseudo-historians would have us believe. In just the same way as Muslim rule of Southern Spain came to an end, the decline of the Emirate of Sicily came about because of internecine strife between different groups in the ruling dynasty. Muslims read in the holy Qur'an in Surat Al Imran: “And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah, and be not disunited…” 3:103 With the Muslims divided among themselves, they were an easy prey to foreign attack. Surely a good piece of advice to Muslims today! Religious tolerance may be a command in Islam, but it was not something the Normans encouraged. The Muslims on the island were given a choice of leaving Sicily voluntarily or becoming Christian. Whilst living under the subjection of a foreign religion was not open to Muslims, most of them left, although some individual families did convert and others pretended to convert. And so, the Muslim presence in southern Italy disappeared almost overnight. Muslims only really began to return in the 1970's. So those in modern-day Italy who would point to Muslims in their midst as strangers, wanting them to leave and go back home, do not really know their own history. For a truer history of their country, they need only look at some of the beautiful buildings in Sicily, inspired by Islamic designs, or look at the colour of the skin of their southern neighbours. They might even look to their own dinner tables, where the Arab staples of oranges and lemons are now as Italian as the Leaning Tower of Pisa! There may no longer be many minarets in Italy, but there is still plenty of pasta! It's strange, isn't it, that misconceptions and misunderstandings come mostly from ignorance? The author of eight books about Islam, British Muslim writer, Idris Tawfiq, will be giving a talk about Palestine and his book, “Looking for Peace in the land of the Prophets,” at Alef Bookstore, Marghany, Heliopolis, Cairo, on Wednesday 21st September at 6pm. He will give another talk, “Being the best we can be,” at the Syndicate of Dentists, Alexandria, on Thursday 22nd September at 6pm. British Muslim writer, Idris Tawfiq, recently spent two weeks in Malaysia and Singapore talking about Islam as part of a speaking tour. You can visit his website at www.idristawfiq.com.
