The gatekeepers in Islamic scholarship cannot refute the basic geographical fact that the emergence of the Islamic religion did not take place in Mecca and Medina, but in Syria, Jerusalem, and Mesopotamia.
A reorientation of Islam's beginnings is inevitable in light of new findings and new scholarship. An important facet of such a project is understanding the sacred geography of the new creed.
The construction of a religious landscape in Islam was a very violent affair. But the destruction of Hindu temples, Buddhist monasteries, Zoroastrian altars, and other religious sites constituted only half of the forced conversion process. The conscious imposition of Islamic architecture on conquered territories, and on the sites of previous temples, was fundamental to the new religion's growth and longevity.
It remains history's most powerful example of the strategy of destroy and rebuild in your image.
The process of how the sacred landscape of Rome and Europe were Christianized was much less violent and more gradual.
An excerpt from, "Were Pagan Temples All Smashed Or Just Converted Into Christian Ones?" By Sarah Bond, Forbes, October 7, 2017:
Into the eighth and ninth centuries of the early medieval period, a number of churches were built essentially upon the podium ruins of earlier Roman temples. Rather than having many building smashed to bits by angry Christians because they were pagan, many temples were quarried for materials that could be reused (e.g. for expensive marble, bronze and valuable wood) and then churches were built upon them.
While pragmatic temple conversion is a far less “fire and brimstone” narrative than Gibbon may have liked, it is one much more in line with the archaeological evidence. It also supports the idea of transformation rather than a “fall”; an approach championed by scholars such as Peter Brown. While some pagan temples were indeed destroyed completely for their idolatry, Rome’s remains would suggest that far more were simply converted, restored and reused in a new, more Christian context.
Every major new religion has to stamp their authority when arriving on the scene. Even small cults like the Latter-day Saints recognize that to achieve temporal power you have to inspire wonder, and that means creating beautiful architecture.
Military victories are not enough. Architecture is the primary expression of power and conquest. That is why the Zionists are currently busy with destroying mosques and churches and ignoring Hamas's military installations. They want to rebuild their ancient temple on the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque because religion is at the heart of the conflict.
And the Zionists are not alone in using religious iconography to empower and satiate their radicalized base. The reconversion of the Hagia Sophia in Turkey back into a mosque from a museum is a reminder that the appropriation of sacred architecture is a fundamental element of Islam's identity. Such iconic buildings will continue to be wielded as a cultural weapon in the hands of religious extremists.
Video Title: Islamic Geography & The Problem With Mecca - Al Fadi & Jay Smith CIRA series. Source: PfanderFilms. Date Published: May 21, 2018.
