After the fall of the Roman Empire and the conversion of Constantine to Christianity, gradually medieval Europe was transformed to the land of the Christians, referred to as Christendom. Its spiritual head was the Pope, while the rulers of European countries maintained their political sovereignty under his control.

The institution of the Church became so powerful and influential that it assumed the status of a state within a state. It would supervise the religious beliefs of the people and all rituals from birth to death were its jurisdiction.

Even a small village would have a small church that took care of the religious needs of its inhabitants. The office of the Pope was not only respected but feared by the rulers because he had the weapon of excommunication for those who defied his authority. The Pope was declared infallible and possessed widespread power to interpret the Bible and religious teachings as he saw fit.

It is never too late to review, rethink and redefine our national interest

There are several examples of rulers who opposed the Pope and paid a heavy price for it. Henry II of England was flogged in public for being involved in the assassination of Thomas Becket in 1170. The penitent Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV stood barefoot in the snow outside the gates of the Castle of Canossa for three days to seek the Pope’s absolution in 1077. Finally, the Pope lifted the excommunication, imposing a vow to comply with certain conditions.

The Church received religious taxes from all European countries, which was resented by the rulers but they did not have the courage to oppose the process.

During the crusading wars which continued from the 11th to the 13th centuries, the political as well as spiritual powers of the Pope were enormously increased as nearly all major rulers of Europe took an oath to fight for the ‘recapture’ of the holy places. This also gave the Church a chance to relate its existence and powers directly to Jerusalem and thus derive historical legitimacy.

The Church also monopolised education since the time of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, who was crowned by the Pope in the year 800AD. In order to spread education in his realm, he authorised the Church to educate the people and education became an effective weapon used by the Church to disseminate its beliefs among the younger generation. As a result, philosophy, science, history, art and literature were devoted to propagating religious beliefs. All major universities such as Paris, Oxford, Cambridge, Padova and Bologna became religious seminaries for the clergy.

In the 14th century, the scholars of Renaissance challenged the status of the Church and the Pope. They denied the relationship with Jerusalem and turned their attention to the ancient Greek and Roman past. It was the beginning of the process of secularisation of Christendom. The Renaissance scholars searched the manuscripts of the Greek and Roman philosophers and after editing, published them to create a secular consciousness in the society.

In 1453, when Constantinople was conquered by the Ottomans, a group of Christian scholars arrived in Europe, bringing with them old Greek manuscripts which included the histories of Thucydides. This rediscovered knowledge created a conflict between the old and new traditions. However, secular knowledge gradually dominated the society and weakened the power of the Church and the Pope.

When Luther defied the Pope in 1517, Christendom was divided between Catholics and Protestants. In 1648, the treaty of Westphalia was signed after the Thirty Years’ War and nation-states were established in Europe, ending the concept of Christendom. Eventually, European countries were identified on the basis of their geography and each acquired a separate national identity instead of a collective religious one.

The term ‘Islamic world’ was coined in the modern period, at a time when attempts were being made to unite all Muslim countries under a Pan-Islamic Movement and to liberate them from European Imperialism. However, there was no actual unity in the Islamic world.

On the other hand, the Arab countries struggled against the Ottoman Imperialism for their independence. The Khilafat movement of the subcontinent aimed at protecting the institution of the Caliphate was not supported by any Muslim country, including Turkey itself.

After the Second World War, all Muslim countries which were colonised by Europe struggled separately for their liberation without any support from other Muslim countries such as Algeria, Tunisia, Indonesia and Malaysia. Those Muslim countries which became independent preferred to call themselves nation-states. Therefore, there is no such thing as the unity of the Islamic world; every Muslim country has its own national interest and follows policies for its protection and sovereignty. It is time we realise that and concentrate on adopting policies for our national interest.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, April 19th, 2015

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