The Madrid Peace Talks: A Place of History-Past and Present

The date was Oct. 30, 1991 and the venue was Madrid, Spain. American New World Order diplomacy eventually succeeded in bringing Muslim Arab countries to their knees. They were forced to negotiate a peace agreement with the Jewish occupied state of Israel. now LET'S GO 500 YEARS BACK IN HISTORY. It was on Nov. 25, 1491, in the same land of Spain, where a similar "Peace Agreement" was brokered at Gharnata, which is situated 200 miles South of Madrid. Here too, a Muslim Arab leader, Abu Abdullah Muhammad, ruler of the last Spanish Muslim state, succumbed to pressure because of constant siege, fear of hunger and starvation. The Muslim Arab ruler affixing his signature on an agreement to bring peace, agreed to lay down arms before armies of Ferdinand and Isabella, then rulers of Christian Spain. By virtue of this agreement, Abu Abdullah promised to hand over Gharnata, the castle of Al-Hamra and all weapons to Christians within 60 days.

Interestingly, all talks that took place between Abu Abdullah and his advisers regarding the peace agreement were kept secret as was done in the recent Madrid talks.

On seeing the conquering armies enter Gharnata, Abu Abdullah got down from his horse, held its reins in his hands and most humbly handed over the keys of the city to the Christians, saying, "these keys are the last symbols of Muslim power in Spain. Take them because according to God’s pre-determination, our lives, our country and our possessions are all yours. I hope you will deal with us in the manner you promised." Ferdinand assured Abu Abdullah that "He will fulfill all promises made to the Muslims"

(Ehsan-ul-Haq in Muslim Europe, pp. 293)

A silver cross was displayed on the highest point of Al-Hamra and a gradual but discreet process was initiated to remove vestiges of 781-year-old Muslim rule over Spain. The peace agreement had guaranteed Muslims:

  • Protection of person and property;
  • Their right to practice their religion;
  • To wear their local costume;
  • To speak their own language;
  • To adopt their own rites and celebrate their festivals;
  • To decide their matters according to the Shari’ah;
  • Their custody shall remain over Mosques and Auqaf; and
  • No tax will be deducted from Muslims for Urce years and even after that no new tax will be imposed
The Christian rulers never intended to fulfill promises they had made to one as loyal and faithful as Abu Abdullah. He had been promised rule over the area of Al-Basharat, but instead was banished to Morocco. Muslims were given options either to embrace Christianity or face extermination, as cruelty towards them had become order of the day. In 1499, Muslims who refused to change faith were ordered to leave Spain. In 1502, all rogue Muslims were ordered to be executed. This way, all Muslims, excepting those who adopted Christianity, were either burnt alive, murdered, or expelled from Spain. In short span of a few years following the 1491 Peace Agreement, not a soul in Spain professed faith in Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The agreement had thus annihilated remains of Muslims from territory where they had magnanimously ruled for over 781 years.





The Madrid Conference of 1991-Time to Reconcile?


Why was the 1991 Middle East Peace Conference held in Spain? A definite answer to this question is difficult. There may be many factors behind the choice of this venue. However, it would not be mere wishful thinking that those who fixed the venue had Spain’s 500th anniversary in their mind commemorating the time when Muslims were wiped off Spain. It would not be gainsaying, keeping human psychology in view, that there was mockery in selecting this site as a venue for peace talks between pro-Israeli Western powers and the Muslim Arabs. It becomes all the more crystallized when one considers how meticulously birthdays are celebrated in Western culture. In this background, was it a message adapted from history which the West wanted to convey to the Muslim Arab participants to the peace talks? Or, was it the intention of vested interests to put psychological pressure on them? Were the peace talks, harbinger of vengeance, an example of which was the fall of Gharnata?

We will find no difference if we compare the situation that prevailed in 1491 and the Muslims’ circumstances in 1991. Arabs are against Turks, Iraq against Kuwait, Egyptians against Yemenis, Punjabis against Bengalis – they are all Muslims up in arms against their brethren. The deplorable Muslim condition centuries before is what we find even today. Western secular Christian powers have always been instrumental in keeping Muslims polarized with a view to keep them under their dominance. The Madrid Conference started in the aftermath of the Gulf War. What actually happened there? Arabs fought Arabs, or precisely Muslims killed their Muslim brethren. The Western countries first jointly armed Iraq. When it became a power to reckon with, it was destroyed. In Jordan, Palestinians were killed en-masse in Black September, an offensive was launched by Syria in Lebanon, Palestinians were murdered in Beirut’s refugee camps, while a large number of Palestinians were arrested by Jordanians in the Gaza Strip. Who were the perpetrators of these onslaughts and who were the victims. Were they all not Muslims? Why should the Palestinians not adopt similar policies if Egypt can go to Camp David with out them and if Saudi Arabia and Kuwait openly announce they are ready for peace with Israel, whether Palestinians come to the talks table or not.

Information taken from: Islam and the West:  Middle East Peace Talks by Khurram Murad