Scholars like Arnold H. Green and Hossein Nasr have argued that starting in the 10th century, some medieval Islamic madrasahs became universities.[25][26] George Makdisi and others,[27] however, argue that the European university has no parallel in the medieval Islamic world.[28] Courtenay et al. partially critique this view by stating similarities between madrasahs and southern European universities.[29] Other scholars regard the university as uniquely European in origin and characteristics