Which Ruler Rescued the Jewish People from Spain in 1492? 

Sincere appreciation for this. As a lifelong scholar of this history I am saving this lecture and purchasing the book to read to my granddaughter whose great-grandmother’s Sephardi family shares this narrative……..born in Alexandria. May I add that scholarship of Professor Avi Shlaim has also elightened my understanding of the jews who found haven in the Ottoman Empire.

Thank you for delivering this message that will never be taught in public schools and few colleges. Much appreciated.

In my high school history class (and in many schools in the US it is taught) and my sons learned it when taking history classes in 2010. The Sultan sent 8 ships to Spain to get the Jews from Spain in 1492. The Sultan also knew that the Ottoman Empire needed business, finance, and trade to function as an empire since many Moslems were not in these professions except in the military as warriors. It was advantageous to both parties, especially since the Empire needed a strong economic base. After the expulsion, Spain's economy decreased. Also, Columbus came to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire to finance his travel west in the Atlantic Ocean to reach India to open a new trade route flanking the Silk Route believing that the Earth is spherical, not flat but the Sultan rejected it however, Spanish Queen Isabella did not. This decision changed the world history. Furthermore, Jews and non-Christians in the Empire were taxed heavily since they were not Moslems and it was protection (protected by the military of the Empire) and wealth taxation. Recent wealth taxation was placed after the creation of the Republic of Turkiye in the late 1930s but mainly after WWII to spread the wealth of non-Moslems to the Muslim population. So, everything was not that cozy.

I so appreciate Dr. Raja’s lecture- not only the content, namely how the ruler of the Muslim Ottoman Empire saved the Jews of Spain after 1492’s expulsion by Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, and how the Jews of Spain, the Sephardim, thrived for centuries in the Ottoman Empire- but Dr. Raja’s gentle persuasive (not didactic, professorial) down to earth way of instructing us and correcting misunderstandings of our shared Jewish-Muslim-Arab history.

I live in Spain and the Muslims and Jews lived in peace and left lots of culture that exists to this day. The Alhambra Palace in Granada the irrigation systems the food is influenced by these cultures and grateful we are for them.

I never heard this bit of history , thank you so much .

Wow! 65 years old, and i never had a clue about this very important piece of history! Thank you so much for enlightening us.

Yes, a famous poet from shiraz said , " A wise enemy is better than an ignorent friend , a wise enemy lifts you up but an ignorant friend knocks you down.

Thank you for this information. It indicates that the Jewish people and the Muslims lived together peacefully in the past, and can even today co-exist without conflict.

Quite enlightening ❤ Thank you, Professor

7:12 Muslims, Jews and Christians in the Middle East treated each other as brothers and sisters. Periodically, families argue but still have a love for each other.

The printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany in 1439. Ottomans were first introduced to the printing press by the Sephardic Jews in Istanbul in 1494. Ottoman Empire granted protection to Sephardic Jews who were expelled from Spain by the Spanish Inquisition in 1492.

I wish I-d had a professor like you - the way you tell a story, leaving out the unimportant details is just great. Thanks.

How interesting. Many thanks ❤

Thankyou for this very instructive video, it shows that peaceful co-existence is possible.

Thank tou for another great history lesson!

Thank you so much. This information has been very enlightening to my history studies on the matter. Bless you.

In Portugal, around the same time, the Jews were also expelled. Many went to Holland where they settled and made good profit from the spices brought from India by the portuguese. Profit that could have stayed in portugal if they had not been expelled. In Amsterdam there is a neighbourhood where they lived and where the streets now have portuguese names. The Jews also fled to Marroco where to this day they live in peace with Muslims.

Thank you so much. The old jewish temples / synagogues still exist in Turkey. There is another historic fact I want to deliver: When the Nazis in Germany began to ban Jewish scientists from the german universities after 1933, it was Mustafa Kemal, the founder of the Turkish Republic who invited the german Jewish professors to come to Türkiye for building a modern high education structure. There have been Jewish sientists and artists of divers professions who were founding and leading new faculties in the bigger cities in Türkiye. The refuges were organized in Zurih/Switzerland. The building of the Turkish parliament, for example, is created by one of them. The huge statues in Ankara are created by another Jewish artist.

Thank you for sharing invaluable information, everyone should be able to know real history.

I have no problem whether you are a Jew, Arab, Muslim,Hindu, Christian, Black, White, Chinese, Indian; the problem arises when one nation think that they are superior to the others.

Thank you Doctor Masood Raja

If memory serves, in the book called Dogs of God, the Spanish monarchy not only expelled Jewish people but took their wealth. The taking of wealth from the newly united Spain from various groups funded the 1492 expedition to the Americas.

Thank you for the information

It is nice to hear something positive about the Ottoman Empire.

Thank you for this interesting piece of history. I remember one of my professors telling us that to study customs documents during certain period of the Ottoman Empire, you needed to know Hebrew, because most of the customs officials were Jews.

Thank you so much. Really informative and interesting.

Under the Spanish Inquisition, Jews wore the Star of David for the first time, they were called Marranos. Moses Maimonide, a Jewish philosopher of Aristotelian thought like Averroes, preferred to take refuge in Egypt, where he was Cadie, rather than going to the North where anti-Judaism was rife. and the persecution of the Church.

Thank you. Many spanish Jews were also welcomed in North Africa.

Thanks, I was so happy to know this history.

Thank you so for your teachings . I learn so much !

Thank you for posting this interesting history.

Bravo sir. I salute you 🫡

Excellent information about the successful partnership of Hispanic Jews and Muslims in the middle ages. I was aware of the prosperity but didn't know that Ferdinand of Aragon did the dirty deed and it was the ottoman Sultan Bayezedi II who was the Saviour. I am benefited by this information, thank you Dr. Raja.

That you for your wonderful educational videos! History is all pertinent to today but we lack this beautiful history in our education system in UK & US .. absolutely nothing mentioned ..

Just thank you. I sent it to friends

Thank you for this description of what is POSSIBLE between people in this world by looking back to a moment of enlightenment and true human culture from the past.

Interesting. Thanks, peace

Thanks for the history lesson..... the message is very timely.

Thank you for this. I am glad you made the presentation. I had read about this and feel even more disappointed with the settlers and their violence towards the Palestinians

Thank you Dr Masood

Thank you for your video I found it very interesting

Thanks so much doctor for this history lesson

Thank you. Yes, very interesting. Every city n town in Spain up to Toledo , Avila , has jewish quaters, n Islam left some of their finest architectural wonders in Andalusia.

Thank you for wonderful talk

LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU ,FOR THIS MOST INFORMATIV , SUBJECT. SHOULD BE DISTRIBUTED ON ALL PORTERS

Wonderful!

Appreciated lecture.👍

Thank you for this most enlightening video. We do need to remember these valuable historical facts at these crazy times we live in. Muslims and Jews have peacefully coexisted for centuries before and surely can do so again. Peace is possible.

Amsterdam, We the Dutch , also welcomed lots of Jewish people in our midst at the same,.. Bringing in so much Wealth & Wisdom,... The ,Kick- off, for the famous Dutch Golden Age......😊

Excellent video

excellent

Through Oral History I have heard this narrative that the Bosnian Jews found peace a prosperity in Sarajevo after being expelled in 1492 from Spain. The narrative made me wonder HOW did they get from Spain to the centre of Europe (Balkan). This video provided the logical answer = Ottoman Navy. Thanks ffor providing the missing link

The Morrocan emir, did the same and saved the Mizrahi.. So did the Albanians and the Muslims of India.. Muslims were always close to the Jews, until colonization and the holocaust.. Antisemitism is historically a European Christian problem...

Thank you.

Enjoyed for your enlightment❤🤗❤

"Thank you for sharing this truth -- God Bless You!"

Sir , can you please make video on how to choose topic of desertation , what approaches one needs to take, and how to make a good desertation..🙏🙏

As an American, my ancestors died and fought to save them from their fate in ww2. And all I've ever heard publicly stated is that we took too long or didn't try hard enough 🤷‍♂️ Some people will never be happy. And thair sadness is contagious if you let it in

Excellent. The time in history I would loved most to have lived would be in Spain when the Muslims ruled Spain. I’m Jewish.

Thank you sir.🙏

As @sheikowi mentioned, Turkish Embassy in Germany issued Turkish passports to Jews of Germany to save them from opression of the Nazis despite the pressure of the Nazi government. Then the ambassador was Muhtar Kent's, CocaCola COO, father and Israili goverment gave Muhtar a medal for his fathers actions. Beside that Turkiye also opened its borders for Germans and Austrians fleeing. During that time most of the Turkish universities hired the migrant professors to teach. Most of these migrants returned back after the war but big portion stayed in Turkiye.

Thank you for reminding us our history. Iranians also welcomed Jews running away from the Egyptian pharaoh if you go way back to the beginning of Jewish history. Jews and Muslims living in Russia has also a very strong bond. They fought together against Soviet communism.

My grandfather and his siblings were descended from Spanish Jews who were expelled from Spain his cousin was a Mendoza which I believe was given to converts who later returned to be Jewish. When he was a young man he and his family wore very middle eastern clothes and a turban type headdress with a little cone sticking out on the top. Later on they changed into western clothes. He was very dark skinned and had a marvellous collection of prayer rugs so I am a little confused if he was Jewish how come this very strong influence.

We need more fctual and positive anecdotes like this story in this world of negative misinforamation...Bravo

Thanks for your presentation but , if I may, it seems to have come short of covering the Jews' exodus to North Africa, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia at this period in the history of Andalusia.

Conveniently under-taught in the so-called West

Shukran Frofessor PROFESSOR JAZAKALLAHU KHAIRAN

Is Bayezid in anyway connected or related to Bayezid Bistami, who is well known to the sufi tradition? And from Andaluz Ibn ‘Arabi from the 13th Century is well known.

Thank you for the information. One thing that is always left out in history is that of the origin of people in those days... Mainly the Black (Africa n) Moores... At the beginning all the peoples were black they became lighter skin when they mixed with the Europeans (whos origin was also black) those in the area of Spain were more n turkey etc are the result of that mixture... If we don't go all the way back to when the issue of "RELIGION" started we will never get to the root of the problem which in most part is RELIGION DOMINANCE.

I was aware of this. Just didn't know the name of the Ottoman Sultan at the time.

Dr Masood Raja - would you talk about why these certain people continue to get expelled from here, from there, from lands. Is there some reason we aren't seeing?

Love

Why were they expelled? What did they do for the king to kick them out ?

What about those that converted to the catholic religion? Many come to the SPANISH AMERICAN COLONIES.

❤❤❤❤❤ thanks

The Ottomans were always accepting and appreciative of the Jews. Ironic!

I think it is important to add that the Jews of Spain prospered under Muslim rule there. The Jews of Toledo were the great translators of the Greek classics from Arabic that enabled the Renaissance. Absent Muslim rule, there may never have been a significant Jewish population in Spain to begin with.

Thank you so much for this post! How many Israelis know this history?

Very informative I hope Jews should watch this historical narrative

OMG!!! I have learned a great picture of living together of Muslims and Jewish. Thanks.

I m jew and i didn t knew. Interresting !! 👏👏

This is beautiful 😍

Sultan Bayezid II did.

I'm afraid you've made a mistake in the story of the Caliph Omar. He was offered to pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and instead prayed some distance from it. There is a small mosque there that i have been blessed to pray at called the Mosque of Omar. The al Aqsa mosque compound is several minutes walk away.

Thank you Dr Masood. My grandmother once told me: "We are Portugueze no no no we are Spanish," in a Filipino words. We are in the Philippines and maybe part of the diaspora you are talking. Toda Raba. Muchas Gracias. Maraming Salamat po.

Binlerce Teşekkürler 🇹🇷❤️🌹🌷

Why did the Sultan not assist the Muslims in Spain during their war with Ferdinand?

Thanks for your information. Yes we all should try to remember to. live in peace and love and not let the greedy rich mess up our world and lives ..

Every country that is well aware of the history and is enough consolidated to allow itself to think about history in an appropiate timely distance has alot to regret. In the case of Spain and although it is explainable, after the 900 "reconquista" there was the idea to have catholicism installed as the only religion in Spain to strengthen unity. After a certain time the said impoverishment became more and more evident, Spain falling back in the following centuaries on nealy all cultural fields, most of all in science. And not only by the expulsion of the jews but also of the moslems. It is as it is.

Thank you for this work you are doing. As a Christian I have had to learn of the evil history of the ghastly mistreatment leveled at the Jews for centuries in Christian lands. Its refreshing to read the welcoming given to the Jews in early colonial times by George Washington. I am really enjoying these history lessons.

Morocco also saved many Jews as a neighboring country of the then Spain. That is how Morocco ended up with many Sephardic Jews.

We Turks know this and we are proud of the Selim saving the Jews from Ferdinand .

I had a dream in which i was shown that whatever you call the Infinite, Jaweh, God, Allah or Beloved, underneath there is Love, And besides the cosmos is made of Love.

Three interesting facts about the inquisition. 1. I believe the Jews lended money to the Spanish crown to sponsor the building and provisioning of the discovery ships in the hope of receiving part of the profits from the discoveries, gold, spice, slaves. When it was clear that the profits would be huge, probably bigger than any other in history, with the exploration of north and south America, large parts of Africa and trade with Asia, the kings decided to exclude the jews. This is my view 2. In portugal today in jewish museums there are 500 year old house keys. When the jews left, they closed their houses and took the keys with them in the hope of coming back one day. They never came back but passed the keys to the next generation until today and recently families donated the keys to the museums. 3. There are still jews today in portugal that never left and hid their religion for centuries. Today there are synagogues and mosques in portugal, a religious tolerant country.

...Und ich weine ,und ich gräme mich beim Abschied von Sefarad !

thank you. I have often thought of the potential of the semitic peoples should they ever come together and what a waste their hatreds.

The Magnificent Centuries referred to Bayezid II and Suleiman the Magnificent too provided the jews with a safe haven .... Hence my failure to understand the Israelis'hatred towards muslims. Also I am perplexed by an important factor which seems to escape both muslims & jews, namely, that they have a common patriarch, i.e, Abraham !

To be fair, the Ottoman Muslims were at war with The Roman Empire, and had just captured Constantinople. This is like Muslims losing Mecca today. During the Muslim 8 centuries of occupation in Spain, the Jewish people acted as the middle men between the Christian elite and the Muslim elite and they became very wealthy. The Christians were treated like lesser beings by Muslims. Many Muslims would either refuse to trade with Christians or apply a tax for the privilege (Jizya). The Jews would represent Christians in all affairs with Muslims. The loss of Constantinople was the nail in the coffin for Christian, Muslim and Jewish peaceful cohabitation. The Christians saw the Jews as conspirators. If we examine the history of the Jews, you will notice that they have always been in lead roles, advisors, administrators or religious figure head (Rome), of all the great Empires; Babylonian, Egyptian, Roman, Ottoman, British, and even America today (look at the top positions in Biden's administration, hence their support of Israel in Gaza). The endless greed of mankind to want to take over the world, be it physically, mentally, spiritually, or economically, has a price!

I know the historical accounts of Persia, Muslims etc..from the bible until today of those peoples showing grace to Jews. Please educate me when Jews reciprocated.