Irony in "Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree"

          Tariq Ali uses irony to destroy the Inquisition’s façade of righteousness and expose the blatant hypocrisy and brutality of the Church’s actions. For instance, the leaders of the Inquisition justify the oppression of the Jews and Muslims by arguing that they are unenlightened infidels who must be converted for their own improvement. Meanwhile, Umar points out that the burning of Arabic texts was “one of the greatest infamies of the civilized world,” and the last group of people to burn down an Arabic library were “illiterate barbarians” (67). While proclaiming their own superiority, the Spanish Catholics behave in a manner that is as uncivilized as they claim the Muslims to be. Furthermore, when Cisneros argues that the Jews and Muslims must be wiped out because they pose a threat to the Catholic World Order, Don Inigo notes that “had it not been for the Hebrews and the Moors, the natural enemies who have helped you keep the Church in one piece, Christian heretics would have created havoc” (65). Ironically, the forces that Cisneros claims threaten the Catholic Church have in fact provided the Christians with a common enemy that kept the different sects united. Moreover, in Cisneros’ letter to Queen Isabella, many of the traits that he objects to in the Muslim people are also present in the Catholics. For example, Cisneros argues that in “any family which produces more than three children,” the extraneous children should be taken away and raised by the church (117). Hypocritically enough, Cisneros had just finished musing on the Cardinal Gonzales de Mendoza, who had seven children out of wedlock (115). Similarly, Cisneros suggests punishment “severe in the extreme” for anyone found guilty of sodomy (117). Promptly after raising this suggestion, he recalls all the instances of sodomy he has born witness to while working for the Church (120). The contradiction between what Cisneros claims to make the Church superior and what is actually true exposes the depravity of the Spanish Inquisition. Additionally, Cisneros objects to Islam and Judaism on principle, while in reality his private misgivings about his own faith actually reflect Muslim beliefs. Cisneros confesses to himself that “it would be far more natural to worship the lord as a concept” rather than a symbol like a crucifix (118). The idea of the God as an abstract concept reflects the Muslim faith, which decrees that God transcends conceptual thought. If Cisneros and the Church were more accepting of dissimilar ideas, than the exchange of theologies could lead people like Cisneros to practice their faith with truer belief than simply following a particular edict allows. Therefore, the Church is inhibiting true enlightenment, acting in contrast with its professed mission. While demonstrating of the incongruity between what the Catholic Church says and what it actually accomplishes, Tariq Ali depicts the senseless violence and wastefulness of the Spanish Inquisition.