The narratives that claim Muslims are "new" to Europe are in part fueling the Islamophobia we see on the continent and across the globe today. But what if we knew and celebrated the fact that Muslim people have always been an integral part of the European story?

In Part 2 of our conversation, Tharik Hussain—an award-winning author, historian, and journalist—returns to help us dismantle the long-standing myth of Jews versus Muslims always fighting each other. We’ll meet the Red-haired sultans of Europe, cover the Jewish and the Muslim Golden Age, and look at these 1,400 years of Muslim rule in Europe through its biggest context: that of co-existence.

This season, we want to hear from you!

Send us a short note with your name, where you’re calling in from, and an answer to two questions:

What gives YOU hope in this moment in time
Which place you are going to next

We’ll run your answers at the end of the season in our Community Voices episode! To participate, fill out this form OR send us a short audio clip (an iPhone voice recording is just fine!) to hello@goingplacesmedia.com by Monday, April 27.

Going Places is an audience-supported platform. Today, I want to invite you to become a paid member, so that we can continue doing this work in the months to come.

Join us for as little as $6 a month and get access to our membership perks. We just added a new one: now everyone, even at our lowest membership level, can tune into regular, quarterly Zoom check-ins with me. Our first one is in April.

Visit us at goingplacesmedia.com to learn more.

Thanks to our Founding Members:

RISE Travel Institute, a nonprofit with a mission to create a more just and equitable world through travel education
Radostina Boseva, a film wedding photographer with an editorial flair based in San Francisco

What you’ll learn in this episode:

The role of Cyprus in Muslim Europe
The World's first Muslim navy
Why the Muslim Empire was often Muslim in name only
Dismantling the myth of eternal conflict through the lens of the Jewish and Muslim Golden Ages
Why did King William II of Sicily call himself Sultan Musta’iz
Maimonides of Cordoba: What the life of this Arabized Jewish scholar teaches us about coexistence
Why a synagogue in Manchester mirrors a mosque in Cordoba
What gives Tharik hope today

Featured on the show:

Follow Tharik on Instagram: @tharik_hussain
Connect with Tharik on LinkedIn
Learn more about Tharik's work on his site
Read Minarets in the Mountains: A Journey into Muslim Europe
Check out Tharik's latest book, Muslim Europe: A Journey in Search of a 1,400-Year History
Learn about Britain’s first Muslim heritage trail, created by Tharik

Going Places is a reader-supported platform. Get membership perks like a monthly group call with Yulia at goingplacesmedia.com!

For more BTS of this podcast follow @goingplacesmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on YouTube!

Please head over to Apple Podcasts and SUBSCRIBE to the show. If you enjoy this conversation, please share it with others on social and don’t forget to tag us @goingplacesmedia!

And show us some love, if you have a minute, by rating Going Places or leaving us a review wherever you listen. You’ll be helping us to bend the arc of algorithms towards our community — thank you!

Going Places with Yulia Denisyuk is a show that sparks a better understanding of people and places near and far by fostering a space for real conversations to occur. Each week, we sit down with travelers, journalists, creators, and people living and working in destinations around the world. Hosted by Yulia Denisyuk, an award-winning travel journalist, photographer, and writer who's worked with National Geographic, The New York Times, BBC Travel, and more.

Learn more about our show at goingplacesmedia.com.

Could Coexistence Be the Real European Story with Tharik Hussain