Well documented writings supported by clear and irrefutable arguments in the field of history leaves no room for the specialized historian or even to the ordinary reader to bypass it without long contemplation for in this case the writer, upon thorough and extensive research, presents a new and truthful historical narrative long hidden in the dark corners of forgery, but that is supported by incontrovertible truths and knowledge uncovered by searching into previously unknown corners and angles and going through webs of deceit and fraud. 

In this respect, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah sheds the brightest light into historical facts that for long has remained neglected or deliberately hidden in the depths of oblivion. Instead, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi presents new and irrefutable arguments that justify opening of such forgotten files, acts as the cleverest of advocates, demanding that an old and long neglected case file be re-opened due to new facts and proofs having been uncovered through thorough research. This is exactly what His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi does in his two highly important books, entitled “I convict” and” The Inquisition Courts” released by Al Qasimi Publications, which provide a learned critique of incidents and a correction of forged history, so as to give long overdue justice to the wronged. In fact, the conviction in “I convict” is a reversal of a previous and unlawful conviction that was not based on proof or justice and where injustice ruled supreme. Instead, the counter-conviction in the works of his highness is the result of valid documents and plentiful proof and evidence, but above all the result of a quest for justice and an appeal to human conscience. It is these very documents that stand as an unbreakable wall against derogatory arrows aimed at His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi‘s “The Inquisition Courts” which is an investigation of twenty three case files, where Muslims in Andalusia where unjustly convicted.

An evidence-supported plea    

In this investigative work, the reader will be made privy to a pleading that fulfil all the requirements of a researcher looking for the truth, particularly since such lies and reversed facts had greatly wronged the Arab history and heritage not only in Andalusia, but in the entire Arab world, where manufactured facts were the launching pad of attack on the history, culture and civilization of the Arabs. Indeed, these two books are a constant and unshakeable presence in the field of research, especially in light of the scarcity of resources related to the history of Muslims in Andalusia, which is only addressed by western works that are obviously biased and totally partial to the official point of view, which is in fact, the forged history written by the victors, who tried their best to silence the few truthful voices. It is from this that the books authored by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi derive their importance being a resounding No in the face of the yes sayers.

Key Lights

The investigation in both books is focused upon the Andalusian geography during a specific time period that preceded the downfall of Arab rule on 2 April 1492 and the last of its kings, the son of Mulay Abul Hassan, ruler of the kingdom of Granada, namely Abu Abdullah the twelfth, also known as Abu Abdullah the younger (1460-1527), the last of Taifa kings, who surrendered to Ferdinand the second and was called “ElChico” or the chick by the Spaniards and the “Al Zaghabi” by the people of Granada.

The most memorable dialogue in the mind of every Arab is probably that which transpired between Abu Abdullah the younger and his mother, Aisha the free, where she told him chidingly” Don’t cry like a woman over a kingdom you never defended like a man”. This statement, despite its negative connotation, summed up the essence of the situation and bequeathed that sense of shame from that moment in history to the Arabs all over the ages, who are still crying regretful tears over lost glory, very much like the Epic of AlZeir Salem who long mourned his brother's loss, and cried hot tears over his tomb, but then emerged from his overpowering grief and sought revenge for his brother’s death, triggering the war of attrition known as Basus War, unlike the Arabs who up till this moment have not emerged yet from the morass of regretful tears.

What sets apart the two books authored by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, is that they depict the current sad situation and call for real action to get from our detractors nothing less than a clear apology. In fact, the history of the post-Andalusian years was never devoid of protests of protests by Muslims there, but was punctuated by uprisings and rejections which is exactly what His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi is trying to portray in those two important historical references in an attempt to write the real history, because only the truth will set people free. That is why all reconciliations in modern history after conflicts of similar nature were undertaken under the slogan of truth and apology. Those two books transcend the perpetuation of the crying jag to establish a new approach, based on action rather than abject and helpless regret, in addressing the history of Andalusia.

Broken pledges

The very title of the book” I convict” is significant unto itself as it comes as the crowning pearl of the text and a reflection thereof. In this book, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi moved from an investigative and accusatory stance to a stance of overt conviction, which His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi would not have taken unless he felt in his heart and mind that that title expresses the just judgment. That is why the title acquires a particular significance as it smoothly points to a textual content loaded with sufficient proofs to justify outright conviction. The book includes ten documents that constitute an irrefutable proof in the face of certain criminal groups of the Spanish people at that juncture, including kings, judges and countless minions who consented to such injustice and as a result became actual accomplices in the commission of that terrible crime and the criminal liability arising from it. A crime that was committed despite pledges made and signed by catholic kings to Abu Abdullah the younger not to interfere with the worshipping practices or the property of Muslims. However, the Catholics with malice and aforethought broke those written pledges and documented commitments and instead practiced a policy of wanton settlement in Muslim owned lands, ostensibly purchased by huge numbers of catholic settlers. Even when Andalusian Muslims became aware of such conspiracy and refused to sell any more of their property, Ferdinand the second confiscated Muslim owned lands in Granada and sold it to Christians who continued to come in droves to settle in Andalusia.

The Muslims of Andalusia didn’t surrender, however, first protesting such injustice and then moving on to an open confrontation with such state-sponsored terrorism where the state used the law to serve its criminal political ends. Muslims decided that resistance is the only avenue available to them and refused to surrender in the face of mounting insults and countless incidents of violence and execution for the most trivial of reasons after drumhead trials at the so-called inquisition courts.

Ten Counts of Conviction

His—presented conclusive and irrefutable proofs of the commission of such abuses, concluding the book by the following immortal and incisive words ”I used these documents as an instrument to convict all those who committed these heinous acts against the Muslims of Andalusia and recited the incidents justifying such conviction”  The ten counts of conviction are as follows: 1-Execution for the most trivial of reasons 2-Ceasless insults against the people of the kingdom of Granada when they started their armed rebellion because of the church sponsored persecution. 3-Confiscation of lands held by Muslim Moriscos by the royal palace, which were then sold to Christians who were mostly newcomers to Andalusia 4-Enslavement of the children of the rebels above the age of ten and a half for sons and nine and a half for daughters by these who arrested or detained them, while younger children were raised as Christians. 5-Wrongful imprisonment of many innocent Moriscos 6-Deliberate Christianization of Moriscos particularly their children 7-Merciless expulsion of Moriscos from the kingdom of Spain 8-Moriscos were only allowed to remain on Spanish lands under special permits 9-Punishment of Moriscos who travel to the lands of Islam whether for pilgrimage or trade by taking their children away from them to be raised by bishops and church clerics. 10-Unjust expulsion of Moriscos from Andalusia under the pretext of illegal communications with the Turks.

Unique Approach

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi adopts quite a unique approach in his book, where counts of conviction were explained in detail and then placed one after the other, using a smooth and easily understood language accessible by the majority of readers to avoid any ambiguity that may lead to the wrong conclusions. Towards that end, the facts in connection with each count were reviewed and supporting historical documents in both the Arabic and Spanish languages were attached to prove each point. While the title conveyed decisive insights into the textual content, the conclusion emphasized lofty human values, appealed to the conscience of the Spaniards, stressed the necessity of ensuring that justice is done even if belated and an apology issued even if insufficient, as rights are not subject to prescription no matter how long a tie has elapsed. His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi concluded his book by saying” Having thus put forth my documented facts and incontrovertible evidence, I have nothing further to add but to appeal to the Spanish conscience and to ask for a formal apology for the excesses of that period and the restitution of usurped rights.”

23 Files

The book entitled” The Inquisition Courts-Investigation into twenty three case files against Muslims in Andalusia” is a huge two part reference. It does address the same subject as the book entitled ”I convict”, but there is an essential difference between the two books, as explained by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, who said ”This book is different from my book entitled ”I convict”, which  addressed the decisions made by the Spanish king and his government, in that this new book addresses secret trials by drumhead courts issuing sentences of execution and burning among others against Muslims.” His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi also pointed out a highly significant feature of this book, namely that it is packed with manuscripts and documented proofs to remind the Spanish people of long past crimes of which they probably have not been aware of and a tragic history that has long been shrouded in darkness and secrecy. The fact that such manuscripts and documents have been kept secret all that time only indicates the atrocious nature of these crimes and the unequivocal intention to conceal the crime and hide the guilt. However, through methodical and persistent academic research, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi was able to obtain 23 manuscripts in the form of case files, which were thoroughly investigated and fully researched, producing a book that reviews facts and puts forth arguments in a historical context. The inherent philosophy adopted by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi particularly with respect to the case of Andalusia, is first to publicize the truth and then to require an apology, which is an approach that will lead to a real dialogue in the context of the world’s current quest for peace and tolerance.

Dark Worlds

This book guides us through the dark recesses of the secret history of Spain dominated by the cruel courts of inquisition that disregarded all values of law and principles of justice. It further reveals the inhuman and forcible Christianization of Muslims by all sorts of intimidation and coercion. According to His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi “After the invasion of Granada, the last Muslim stronghold in Spain, by the catholic kings in 1492, they enacted a law providing for the forcible Christianization of Muslims and the exile of Muslims who refuse to convert to Christianity. However, despite the majority of Muslims opted to convert to Christianity, yet a considerable body of documents indicate that for more than half a century thereafter, Muslims adhered to their Arabic language and Muslim religious practices. It is certainly worthy of further consideration that on 7 December 1526, a royal decree was issued to transfer the inquisition court headquarters that was until then in Coin, Malaga to Granada, where persistent attempts were being made to deliberately obliterate the indigenous culture and identity of Muslims and to ban a whole inherited culture and not just religion. However, these documents further reflect failure by the authorities to successfully Christianize Muslims”.        

Steadfastness

The “Inquisition Courts” is a book full of heartaches and conveys the salient features of that phase of Andalusian history, which was dominated by intimidation and total lack of humanity, yet it contains many bright spots that make every Arab and every Muslim stand tall and proud in the face of the winds of terrorism, which threatened them with exile, death by hanging and burning at the stake. The author, with his piercing insight, sees through these dark trials a bright picture of a prosperous Muslim community that remained coherent and defied fragmentation despite all attempts towards that end. In fact, Muslims lived together as brothers of the same religion, supported each other, spoke in their native Arabic tongue and expressed their adherence to their Muslim faith. That was a highly significant matter as the difficult circumstances they lived under failed to weaken their resolve and their adherence to their Arabic language which was the only language spoken by moist of the Muslim defendants and that is a valuable lesson that should be learned by modern day Arabs.

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi delves deep into the structure of the Muslim community at that time, where the defendants generally belonged to the more modest social classes and mostly practiced marginal professions. In fact, many of the women defendants, undeterred, instilled in their children an undying love for the Muslim faith and a deep rooted sense of their Arab identity. His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi portrays a human picture, particularly where he says “Through their testimonies before the Christian judge, one gets an indelible impression that those defendants were abruptly dragged from their easy going lives to face the ruthless inquisition machine, which issued extremely harsh judgments. Such judgments must now be revealed, and its shroud of secrecy removed today so that the whole world is made aware of the cruelty and heart wrenching nature of such judgments”. 

A Tale for the future

This book is not just a tale that does nothing but bequeath the heart aches of one epoch to another but is rather a tale to be benefitted from both at present and in the future. It is a living tale that tries, argues and convicts without resorting such literary embellishments except in so far as that stimulates human imagination to comprehend the magnitude and cruelty of what happened in these far-off days, even if such cruelty at times defies human comprehension.