Two villages in Malaga decided to 'free' the last Moorish king of Al Andalus, Boabdil. Canillas de Aceituno (2,336 inhabitants) and Sedella (688 inhabitants) have approved changing their municipal coat of arms to remove the chain from around Boabdil's neck, who surrendered Granada in 1492.
According to the mayor of Canillas de Aceituno, Jose Manuel Aranda (PSOE, Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), the village made this decision because it represents an element of confrontation that already belongs to the past.
"We have decided to remove a symbol with connotations of racism and slavery that deepens the struggle for dominion among races, senseless in a new, free generation"
The decision was formalized last Friday in an extraordinary plenary meeting. The proposal originated from the party ruling the city council (PSOE) and was supported by the Andalusian Party; the Popular Party voted against.
“We do not understand how they can vote against and be in favour of continuing to use for Canillas de Aceituno symbols that are the hallmark of inequalities and that can raise xenophobic sentiments”, commented the alderman.Sedella, which is also ruled by the PSOE, 'freed' Boabdil in September of last year.
The coat of arms of Canillas de Aceituno is based on that of Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba's. Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba was involved in the capture of Granada and participated in the battle of Lucena in 1483 when Boabdil was capture. In return he was allowed to display the captured Boabdil on his coat of arms. Several villages in the province include the enslaved king in their coat of arms. Other municipalities such as Comares and Sayalonga continue to display it.
12 comments:
Pastorius,
It doesn't belong in the past, that is the problem. Although I am not sure I would want a picture of a man with a noose around his neck on my town's municipal coat of arms, that is kind of disturbing.
I agree. It is disturbing. But, history is disturbing.
Certainly, I think we ought to be celebrating the fact that we vanquished those who would kill or subdue us.
On the other hand, it seems more wise to define ourselves by what we stand for, then by who we had to kill to be able to attain our rights.
All in all, I say, celebrate the destruction of Islam in Europe. It really is one of the better episodes in European history.
Pastorius,
I couldn't agree more!
All in all, I say, celebrate the destruction of Islam in Europe. It really is one of the better episodes in European history.
If you like that . . .then you'll absolutely love this . . .Orianna Fallaci Square in place of mosque
heroyalwhyness,
That article was interesting.
Pastorius will be absolutely thrilled when he finds out that the square is the initiative of the ethnic nationalist Lega Nord (gasp!).
I took note of that. Thanks.
Lega Nord. That's the political party which, according to Paul Belien, is not political, but is instead of the "community and the land."
Anonymous, can you define these three words for me:
Race
Culture
Ethnicity
Pastorius,
Maybe Anonymous can't but I can.
Race-An arbitrary grouping of people based on which group they were born into. It is an arbitrary social construct, there is no meaningful difference between blacks and whites. In fact there is more diversity withing these two groups than there is difference between them.
Culture-The learn behavior of a particular society or group.
Ethnicity-Similar to race, but involves culture.
Does that answer you question, Pastorius?
Lega Nord?
Damn! Another European party (or movement) I don't know the first thing about.
Damien,
Here's an attempt to define the word "ethnicity" from Answers.com:
http://www.answers.com/topic/ethnicity
" ... the question of what is an ethnic group, as opposed to any other kind of group, is one which permits no simple answer. Ethnic groups are not races, since ethnicity can be more precisely defined than race or even logically independent: Serbs and Croats are also Slavs, and a Jew might be black or white. Nor does membership of an ethnic group relate a person necessarily to a particular territory in the way that nationality does. Nevertheless, ‘ethnic conflict’ can be the same thing as conflict between nations or races as it can also be conflict between religious groups. Ethnic conflict in Northern Ireland (‘Catholic’ and ‘Protestant’), Lebanon (where Christian Arabs have been in conflict with Muslim Arabs), and in the Balkans (where Orthodox Serbs differ from Catholic Croats and from Muslims principally in terms of religion) are all conflicts primarily identified by religious affiliation.
Language, for the Basques, Welsh, or Georgians, for example, is a more important badge of ethnicity than race, nationality, or religion.
It does not matter, ultimately, whether shared origins and traditions in our opening definition can be said to exist as a matter of objective fact or whether they are ‘invented’ or ‘selected’. Thus the kind of consciousness of ethnicity which gives rise to ethnic conflict can depend entirely on the context in which people form their consciousness and, particularly, on the other ethnic groups which they recognize as existing in that context. "
So, the definition of ethnicity is, apparently, "It is what groups of people say it is."
That is not a definition. It is, instead, if we are to accept the definition, a recipe for moral relativism. It is similar, in kind, to political correctness, which tells us that morality is the whim of the people at any given time.
The sociological definition of ethnicity has, in my opinion, been hijacked by leftists for political purposes (obtaining funding for various programs, affirmative action, etc.). And now, rightists are adopting the leftist strategy for the purpose of being slippery about their affiliation with racialist causes.
I would assert that anything which exists in the realm of the intellect can be articulated and thus defined. If it can not be defined, then it exists in the realm of the mystical. If it is mystical, then it does not belong in the realm of politics.
is that a very belated celebration of ridding Europe of Islam or a very pre-mature celebration?
seems Islam is on a rapid comeback trail in Europe and the chain will be around the infidels necks in the very near future...
Or, perhaps, there will be a new Expulsion of the Moors/Spanish Inquisition.
I can understanding not betting on the fat-assed lazy culture of the West, but if I were you I wouldn't bet on the incredibly idiotic culture of Islam.
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