Tell Me Why

Europe’s forgotten Muslim history

Tell Me Why

Show Notes

Twenty years ago, Tharik Hussain moved from the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia with a sense that he and other Muslims didn’t belong in Europe. But, as he explains today on the podcast, he has since been on a journey to uncover some 1,400 years of rich Muslim history and culture on the continent.

Tharik joins Imaan and Ellen to discuss how Europeans forgot the contributions of Muslims in Europe—and what the impact of this erasure has been on modern politics.

Plus—why, in the 8th century, did Anglo-Saxon King Offa of Mercia issue a gold coin inscribed with the shahadah (Islamic declaration of faith)?

Tharik’s book, Muslim Europe, was published by Penguin in 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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