The Alternate History of Europe: Would a Conquest by Islamic Powers Have Made the World a Lesser Place?

The history of Europe as we know it would have been drastically different if Islamic powers had conquered the continent during medieval times. To explore this concept, we must delve into the social, political, and cultural implications such a scenario might have had. The aim is to understand how the world would have been poorer without the advancements and reforms pioneered by Christian Europe, especially in the realm of human rights and freedoms.

Slavery and the Legal Framework

Under Islamic rule, slavery would have been a pervasive and accepted practice. Sharia law, which has a long history of sanctioning slavery, would have characterized the legal and social structures of medieval Europe. Slavery, particularly the enslavement of non-Muslims, would have been a common practice across the continent. There would have been slave markets in every major city, leading to widespread human trafficking and exploitation. This practice would have excluded Europe from the broader ethical and legislative frameworks that eventually led to the abolition of slavery in the modern era.

The historical records of the period suggest that slave markets were prevalent in every major Muslim city during the medieval and early modern periods. Bernard Lewis, a renowned scholar on Islamic history, noted that Islamic law and custom provided no basis for the abolition of slavery, leaving the impetus for reform to European powers. Lewis states, "[the abolition] was confined to the actions taken by the British, French, and later Italian empires in the territories under their authority. Legal abolition for long remained impossible in countries still formally under Islamic law." Thus, the abolition of slavery emerged from the influence of Western powers and not from internal reform within Islamic societies.

The Condition of Jews and Women in Muslim-Supported Europe

The conditions for Jews, women, and marginalized groups would have been highly oppressive under Islamic rule. Jewish communities, enjoying a modicum of protection and rights in Christian Europe, faced severe limitations and discrimination under Islamic governance. The concept of Dhimmi, or second-class non-Muslim subjects in Islamic states, would have relegated Jews to a subordinate status, stripped of the rights granted by laws in Christian Europe. Bernard Lewis notes, "The granting of equal rights to followers of other religions and the abolition of the slave trade and ultimately of slavery were actively promoted by the European powers." The European influence on Jewish rights was significant, as it was part of a broader struggle for human rights that would have been absent under Islamic rule.

Women's lives in a Muslim-controlled Europe would have been characterized by pervasive subjugation. Islamic culture upheld strict gender separation and restricted women's roles to the home. Women would have been denied higher education and barred from holding high government positions. The veil and female genital mutilation would have been enforced as part of cultural norms and religious practices. The writings of several Islamic scholars, such as Kesha Ali, Jonathan Brockopp, and Avicenna, provide evidence of these practices. Avicenna, a prominent Islamic philosopher, noted that women were seen as inferior and their primary role was as bearers of children, leading to a significant underutilization of their potential contributions to society.

Lack of Scientific and Cultural Advancement

The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment would have been stifled significantly in a European dominated by Islamic powers. Scientific and cultural endeavors flourished in medieval Europe, particularly in Spain and the Italian city-states. Without this European impetus, the exchange of ideas and knowledge would have been severely inhibited. Important figures such as Miguel Serveto and William Harvey, who made groundbreaking discoveries in anatomy and physiology, would have seen their work restricted or hindered. The prohibition against anatomical studies, as exemplified by the Islamic prohibition on dissecting dead bodies, would have severely curtailed the accumulation of knowledge about human anatomy and physiology.

Furthermore, the pioneering work in the fields of history, archaeology, cultural anthropology, and paleography would have been stifled. Europe's unique contribution to human knowledge in these areas, driven by curiosity and respect for other cultures, would have been absent. Bernard Lewis notes, "It was after all the West that first and for long alone undertook the scholarly study of alien cultures with curiosity, interest, and respect and even—by exhuming buried civilizations and deciphering forgotten scripts—made a substantial contribution to their recognition and understanding." The Islamic world, with its focus on the preservation of existing knowledge rather than the exploration of new cultures, would have missed the opportunity to contribute significantly to the understanding of the human past.

The Absence of Democracy and Personal Freedoms

In the absence of European influence, political and personal freedoms would have been severely curtailed. Democracy, as a form of government that prioritizes the will of the people over divine command, would have never emerged in a predominantly Islamic Europe. The concept of man-made laws versus divine command would have dictated the political landscape, leading to a form of theocratic governance where individual rights could easily be overruled by religious authorities.

The lack of free thought, speech, and press would have stifled the intellectual and cultural development of Europe. European societies often thrived on the challenge of orthodoxy and the quest for new ideas. The rise of humanist thinkers, philosophers, and scientists, who were sometimes labeled as heretics, would have been quashed under Islamic rule. The persecution of figures like Ibn al-Nafis, whose theory of the circulation of blood was based on abstract reasoning rather than experimental science, would have hindered scientific progress. Avicenna's observation that women's underutilization was a major cause of poverty in societies that impoverished them further underscores the significant societal issues that would have persisted.

Conclusion

The colonization of Europe by Islamic powers would have resulted in a society that was far less developed in terms of human rights, science, and cultural progress. The conditions for non-Muslims, women, and marginalized groups would have been significantly worse, leading to a more impoverished and less advanced world. The absence of the European Enlightenment, the abolition of slavery, and the promotion of democracy would have had profound negative consequences on the trajectory of human civilization. Europe's unique contributions to the modern world, driven by its scientific, cultural, and democratic innovations, would have been lost in an Islamic-dominated Medieval Europe.