Integration with integrity
Art Harun
One of my favourite examples of pure racial and religious integration is the one which existed during the Abbasid rule.
In an atmosphere as culturally and intellectually vibrant as Baghdad was during the Abbasid’s rule, inter-faiths and inter-religions relations were at their best. In Baghdad, Christians lived near a Jacobite monastery on the bank of the Tigris. Muslims would take part in Christian celebrations such as the Palm Sunday and likewise the Christians would honour the Eid-ul-Fitr together with the Muslims. The people were free to practise their respective religion, without fear and without any kind of compulsion. A medieval Egyptian historian noted that the mixing and matching of festivals “was a sign of mutual respect and brotherhood between the religions…moreover, some of the converts to Islam, as Muslims, continued their old practices even after accepting Islam.”
Now that account shows not only a pure unadulterated integration between various races of different faiths, but also assimilation of them into one single society.
Islamic history has shown that racial and religious integration would take place during a period of security, where the people went about living their daily lives without fear and prejudices.
Integration was and still is however a fragile commodity. Everything, from religious sensitivity to racial bigotry as well as political agenda could spark a backlash in no time at all.
Harun al Rasyid ‘s relationship with the Byzantine’s Empress Irene in Constantinople meant a peaceful co-existence between the two religious powerhouse. But when Irene’s finance minister, Nicephorus, overthrew her, the situation changed immediately. After a letter from Nicephorus saying that Harun should be giving the Byzantine his wealth and blaming the peaceful co-existence between Harun and Irene to “weakness of women and their foolishness”, Harun marched into central Anatolia and captured Heraclea.
It was at this time Christians were treated shabbily in Iraq as Abbasid nationalism ruled the day.
