Córdoba: 1010, in the 20:20 of hindsight

[Posteritatis]

I came across this particularly excellent HNN article looking into the history of Cordoba in the context of the "Ground Zero" "mosque" teacuptempest.

People react to the term in many different ways - the right is hopping on it as the capital of a caliphate or the site of a mosque superimposed over a cathedral, using that as "proof" that it's the thin edge of some hideous invasion wedge, for instance. In the article, Jonathan Jarrett quite rightly points out that while it might be easy and satisfying to boil a term down to one narrow interpretation of a point in its history (to say nothing of running amok with it like the right has been), Cordoba is a place with quite a bit of history, and the implications of looking to it for a name change depending not only on your perspective, but when in the city's history you're thinking of it.

Gingrich seems to be thinking of Córdoba in the 840s or 850s. 1010 might make him happier; but as long as there was the 720s, 860s and 950s as well, he can't have the symbolism all his way, and neither can the apparently-peaceful group behind the proposed Cordoba House. History contains multitudes, of perspectives among other things, and very very few of them are right enough to stand unchallenged.

(If you're into history and aren't reading HNN, please berate yourself into changing that, incidentally; the site tosses up something of this quality every few days, and generally interesting stuff constantly.)