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In my essay for Newlines Magazine (and subsequent podcast) discussing my Arabic translation of the 13th century Latin work Historia Arabum (which can be regarded as the first or earliest surviving Western work focused on Arab history, depending on definitions), I touched on what the work might tell us about the position of the author- Rodrigo Ximenez de Rada, the archbishop of Toledo- on ‘tolerance’ towards Jews and Muslims in Spain: not tolerance in the modern sense of equal rights and interfaith understanding and respect, but a relative and limited form that would effectively allow Jews and Muslims to live under Christian rule though in a subordinated status. In effect, I suggested that just as Muslims put Jews and Christians in Spain under the second-class ‘dhimmi’ status, so Rodrigo wanted to have Muslims and Jews live as ‘dhimmis’ under Christian rule. Indeed, in the prologue to the Historia Arabum, Rodrigo speaks with apparent delight about the application of such a policy to Muslims under Christian rule, seeing it as just retribution for previous Muslim oppression of Christians.

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