“In the unconscious of Western Europe there has always been a mistrust and a suspicion of Eastern Europe,” says Tharik Hussain, author of 'Minarets in the Mountains'
The footsteps of 17th century Ottoman explorer, Evliya Celebi, have been re-traced by travel writer and author Tharik Hussain in his groundbreaking new book,The book brings to life this rarely told story of Muslim Europe, and unearths a living history of Balkan people and their 600-year-old Ottoman Muslim heritage and culture.
“For Muslims in the West, we often feel like we are under some kind of attack. We’re made to feel like we don't belong here but to discover that we have this heritage that goes back 14 centuries, it feels almost criminal that this stuff is not being discussed,” Tharik told TRT World.The roots of Islamophobia go deep, and as Tharik shows in his book, it has historical roots.
Islam in the Balkans was brought over by the Ottoman Empire in the late 1300s. The Empire at its peak was powerful and wealthy with superior government, social and economic systems. On the other hand, Western powers were weaker, economically disadvantaged and less advanced. This led to the Christian world wanting to catch up and dominate.
There are Ottoman-built mosques and architecture, some attributed to the Chief Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, who lived in the 16th century. The names of places, people, cuisines and cultural norms such as Muslim hospitality and welcoming travellers are all practiced in these areas. There is also a rich Sufi heritage, another legacy of the Ottomans.
There was also a rising hatred towards the Polish and all eastern Europeans. Tharik believes these attitudes are actually rooted in Islamophobia. “I think the eastern European hatred and Islamophobia were all wrapped into one and there’s no surprise that the two were interchangeable during the Brexit rhetoric,” he says.
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