The TRUTH About Islamic Spain They Never Taught You | Raymond Ibrahim (Winston Marshall)

Raymond Ibrahim joins The Winston Marshall Show to examine the early Islamic conquests of Spain, the Reconquista, and the historical events that shaped the relationship between Christianity and Islam long before the Crusades. A historian and bestselling author specialising in Islamic history and the medieval Middle East, he explores the battles of Tours, the rise of Al-Andalus, Pelayo's resistance, Charlemagne's diplomacy with the Abbasid Caliphate, and why he believes key parts of this history have been omitted from modern accounts. The conversation also covers the Martyrs of Córdoba, the Reconquista, Harun al Rashid, Baghdad, the Visigoths, Charles Martel, Karen Armstrong, John Esposito, and competing interpretations of the origins of the Crusades. This episode draws on themes from his books 'Sword and Scimitar', 'Defenders of the West', and 'The Two Swords of Christ', alongside the wider debate over medieval Europe and the Islamic world.

Is Islam compatible with the West?



This 10 minute clip reminds people that the Islamists invaded Spain and had nearly full control of it by 718AD. The Spanish did not fully kick them out until 1492, nearly 800 years later. The guy being interviewed points out that it was not all peace and love under Islamic rule. The Christians were treated as second class subjects and many were sent away as slaves. During this entire time southern Europe was being raided by North African slavers. Almost all the slaves died. The video points out that this was all happening three hundred years before the first Crusade. Context matters. Basically no one wants to be dominated by a foreign power. It goes either way too. This is why largely closed borders is a good idea.

[Posted at the SpookyWeather2 blog, July 15, 2026.]