Weshalb der Islam seit dem Mittelalter zu Europa gehört

Since the invasions of Spain and Italy in the eighth and ninth centuries respectively Muslims have been present in Europe. They have strongly influenced science and culture and are, as of the Middle Ages, beyond doubt part of European history. However, as they prevailed at the expense of Christian kingdoms, they were hardly welcome and in some cases could not hold their ground in the long run. In Germany, where Muslims appeared very rarely and only ever as prisoners of war, the “Turkish threat” propaganda of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries continues to have an effect even today. This propaganda is, among other things, responsible for the “Islamophobia” prevalent in present-day German society, which scholarship can counter with historical arguments.