Answer:
Southern Europe was the closest set of people near them
Explanation:
At some point in the history of Europe, particularly around 711 AD, the Arab Muslims from the region of the Mediterranean or Iberian peninsula raided and amassed their first strong foothold in continental Europe, particularly in modern-day Spain and Portugal.
One of the main reason this was made possible was that the Muslims raid towns in southern Europe because Southern Europe was the closest set of people near them
