a golden century when Jews and Christians lived together in peace under Islamic rule

Is it just me, or does this have more than just a whiff of putting the best face on the inevitable.

The interview is funny because she's all "goodness and light" while H.D. is more realistic, pointing out that the Muslims practiced classical toleration.

....which is why, of course, Maimonides ("Rambam") had to flee his home city of Cordoba....

Hey! It is my name! (Although, I've always published under my initials.)

As for Maimonides, he was so thoroughly Arabized, that his famous commentary on the Torah, "The Guide for the Perplexed", was written in Arabic, not Hebrew.

Also, when you talk about toleration, you have to carefully distinguish the period. Maimonides fled Spain in the mid-12th century, a century-and-a-half after the Caliphate of Cordoba had fallen (the period usually held up as being the most tolerant) and after the arrival of the fundamentalist Almoravids from Morocco.

I haven't any idea what "classical tolerance" means. The early Muslims were less intolerant than contemporary Christians, but that was a very low standard.

Classical tolerance is accepting that others believe nonsense--modern toleration is pretending that beliefs like yours for instance are as valid as ours. Islam was the former, we are too much the latter.

I've been trying to figure out if there's a difference in the distinction, but I cannot find one.

If somebody wants to kill or rob you, it doesn't make much difference why, does it?

Harry:

Perhaps you could just stop talking when you can't figure things out?