Prospect Podcast

Europe’s forgotten Muslim history

Why has so much been erased from memory—and what impact does it have on our politics today? Tharik Hussain discusses his latest book, ‘Muslim Europe’

April 29, 2026
Tharik Hussain, author. Credit: courtesy of Viking
Credit: courtesy of Viking

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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: A Journey in Search of a Fourteen Hundred Year History, was published by Penguin in 2025.