The Impact of the Inquisition and Christianity in Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree

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            In the first half of Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree I was struck by the way in which Tariq Ali chose to focus upon the Spanish Inquisition by providing a unique perspective that referred to the Church in a much more negative light than would be expected in Western publications. Ali, having been born in Pakistan, writes in a tone that portrays a sense of bitterness towards the mass destruction of culture that occurred because of the Inquisition. In my high school I only learned about the tortures committed against Muslims and Jews during the Inquisition, but failed to truly recognize the extent to which Catholic leaders looked to strip Muslim communities of their advanced culture. Ali’s historical novel provides a more comprehensive interpretation of the Spanish Inquisition; while Ali seems somewhat biased against the Christian character he presents, his descriptions of 15^th century Spain and the family he focuses upon, allows readers like myself to gain a much more personal insight into the fears and emotions many Muslims were forced to confront regarding their own faith and the Christianity being forced upon them.

            Ximenes de Cisneros, is the most powerful Catholic character portrayed throughout the novel and is characterized as purely evil. He desires to commit a complete ethnocide of Spanish Muslims, which is quickly understood within the opening pages of the novel and fails to find importance in any of the advanced culture the Muslims had produced over time. Ximenes' successful book burning of all Muslim writings, despite their possible contribution to science, medicine or the arts reveals how he understood all Muslims as less than human, describing them as having “mongrel blood” (4). He also longs to completely alter the behavior of Spanish Muslims once they convert to Christianity; instead of being sympathetic to their prior beliefs and ways of life Ximenes finds fault with everything and his only goal is to destroy all aspects of their culture. In his letter to Isabella and Ferdinad, Ximenes lists his goals once the Moriscos convert to Christianity; his plan is the definition of ethnocide as he hopes to remove the Arabic language, alter the ways in which Muslims dress, destroy the baths where social activities take place, and forbid women from covering their heads (117). Thus, the character of Ximenes allows Ali to reveal the destructiveness many Muslims and Jews were forced to confront during the Inquisition; he is able to showcase this in much more detail when focusing directly upon the Banu Hudayl family.

            Ali’s frustration and bitterness towards Christianity I found extremely relevant throughout his depictions of the members of the Banu Hudayl family. Zuhayr gets into a fight with a Christian man and plans to go to war, while Yazid cherishes a chess set that is anti-Isabella and Ferdinand. Ama, one of the elders of the family leads a prayer for protection against the Christians and negatively describes their religion saying, “they nail their God to a piece of wood and call it father, mother and son, drowning their followers in a sea of falsehood” (16). Ali also has his characters continuously refer to the Christians as barbarians and destroyers of the Muslim culture; Ibn Hisham perfectly explains the frustrations and fears of the Spanish Muslims towards the evil Christians of the Inquisition stating, "they set our culture on fire" (81). Yet, Ali also reveals the extreme uncertainty and fear felt throughout the Muslim community as their culture was threatened and they were forced to choose between giving up their beliefs, dying or leaving their homes behind. The family of Banu Hudayl, therefore, is utilized by Ali to connect audiences to a different perspective on the effects of the Spanish Inquisition. Ali looks to have readers fully understand the different tortures all Spanish Muslims, and many Jews, were forced to submit to.

           Overall, Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree is a great starting point for applying many of the criticisms Edward Said discussed regarding Orientalism. Ali provides a different and potentially controversial perspective regarding Muslims and the Spanish Inquisition through the many characters he utilizes throughout the novel. Ali allows readers to gain a firsthand sense of the loss many Muslims went through during the Inquisition and refuses to show the Christians in a neutral light. His bitterness is apparent throughout the first half of the text and he allows readers to fully comprehend how historical events can have different impacts upon areas of the world as well as long lasting repercussions. Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree is based around religious tensions between Muslims, Jews and Christians that emerged during the Spanish Inquisition but it also reflects upon the relationships held between the three major religions of the world today and forces readers to question why and how relationships have never truly improved since.