Al-Andalus has become a historical symbol of cultural and religious diversity, even among American researchers and university students. In just one week, two groups of students from the United States have arrived in Córdoba to participate in two training courses taught by Bárbara Ruiz Bejarano, director of the Las Fuentes Foundation.

On this occasion, a group of twelve students from the University of Richmond (U.S.), who are participating in an educational program on religious diversity, attended a lecture yesterday, Thursday, May 14, on coexistence during the Al-Andalus period, given by the director of the Las Fuentes Foundation and a specialist in Moorish history.

Ruiz Bejarano instructed them on the historical processes that allowed Christians and Jews to live under an Islamic political system such as Al-Andalus, protected by the legal status of the dimma. The lecture also covered the Taifa period, following the fall of the Caliphate of Córdoba, as well as the phenomenon of the Mudejars, first, and the Moriscos, later, following the Christian conquest.

Students at the University of Richmond come from various disciplines within the humanities and are between the ages of 19 and 20. Although the Córdoba-based organization does not have a specific agreement with the University of Richmond, the Las Fuentes Foundation regularly collaborates with several U.S. academic institutions interested in religious diversity programs.

“The topic of Al-Andalus is particularly popular among students studying the humanities,” says Bárbara Ruiz Bejarano. “Al-Andalus is a historical example of religious diversity that has endured over time and is still used as a cultural reference point in many contexts. It is a universal symbol of diverse societies,” argues the director of the Las Fuentes Foundation.