What did Europeans think of the Muslims who had been entering Europe since the eighth century? Was it just another group of warriors, like the Vikings in the north and the Huns in the east? Or were they seen as a new religion, perhaps even a challenge to Christianity?

In the previous episode we talked about the wars of conquest and raids undertaken by the Muslim Arabs. We have seen that raiding and conquering was done by everyone, everywhere. But a question that has been preoccupying many academics and observers is whether the Muslims were perhaps conquering for another reason, and that is: to spread Islam.

Matters of Humanities: History of Islam in Europe
People are often surprised that the history of the Islam in Europe is so much more than a history of wars. It's also a story of diplomacy and trade, knowledge and arts, from Muslims living together with Christians and Europeans for centuries. Muslims and the Islam are not things that just 'happened' to Europe, they are part of Europe. In this podcast series, professor Maurits Berger talks about the history of the Islam in Europe: going back to the first Muslim who set foot in Europe, and seeing what kind of interactions have taken place between Muslims and Europeans since then.

Music score
• Ghada Shbeir: 'Ya Oumm Allah' (Middle East) • Amina Alaoui: 'Lamento de Tristan' (Florence) • Troevere Medieval Minstrels: 'Rassa tan creis' (France/Italy) •   Jordi Savall, 'Saltarello' (Spain) • Josef Foerster et al.: 'Svatý Václave (St.Wenceslas)' (Czech / Slowakia) • Nawa Shanbar:'Danzas Medievales Espanoles' (Spain) • Al-Firdaus Ensemble: 'Waslat Taba Li' (Andalusia)