Islamic Perceptions of the Crusade

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Chronicles of Ibn Jubayr (1145 to 1217)
Significance of the Crusade on the Islamic Culture Today
Conclusion

Introduction

The crusades are known throughout history for shaping the relationship between the Islamic and Christian religions. The target regions for the crusade were mainly the Islamic regions of the Mediterranean Basin, creating civil and religious wars for over two hundred years. Various Muslim scholars have written the crusade accounts from the first crusade to its later years. These accounts, commonly known as memoirs or chronicles, vary according to the period and the writers perceptions regarding the crusaders. Some of the chroniclers include Ibn al-Athir (1146-1193), Ibn al-Qalanisi (1703-1160), Ibn Jubayr (1145-1217), and Usama Ibn Munqidhi (1095-1188). Each chronicler gives an account of the crusades from personal anecdotes and previous records from other eye-witnesses. This paper discusses Ibn Jubayrs chronicles on the crusaders, his perceptions of the events of the crusades, and its significance in understanding some of the Islamic cultures today.

Chronicles of Ibn Jubayr (1145 to 1217)

Ibn Jubayr was a Hispanic chronicler who describes his pilgrimage travels in Egypt, Mecca through Sicily during the third crusade, where he observes the culture of Muslims and Christians living in these regions. As a result of Franks invasion, he follows that the Muslims in these regions live harmoniously with the Christians, which agitates him because he feels the Muslims would adopt the Christian culture in their land. Jubayrs account defends Muslims and the Islamic culture as pure entities that may become corrupt with the invasion of Christian cultures. According to Jubayr, Christians are like pigs and other evil things, and he condemns the Muslims c-habiting with Christians in these regions on why they could agree to live among such filth. He states that there is no excuse before God for a Muslim to remain in a city of unbelief unless he is merely passing through the land&. According to this statement, Jubayr urges his fellow Muslims to avoid settling down among Christians because they are non-believers. Additionally, he warns the Muslims to be wary of the Christian temptation and cleanse themselves appropriately when seeking Gods forgiveness for associating with Christians. Jubayrs hostility against Christians causes him to form anti-Christian rallies to motivate the uninterested Muslims to be hostile to Christians and expel them from their lands.

Significance of the Crusade on the Islamic Culture Today

Generally, the crusade caused the clashing of cultures and religions due to different interactions with different groups of people, especially Muslims and Christians. The conflicts between faiths and cultures enhanced new experiences and shared cultural and religious ideas with people moving from place to place, spreading the new ideas further. Because of the Islamic defeat during the crusade, most Muslims became insecure, defensive, and oversensitive towards other communities worldwide, leading to their exclusivity from the rest of the world. Muslims also feel like the rest of the world disregards their presence as a culture in possessing world power and cultural ranks as it was before the crusades defeat. Most Muslims perceive the crusaders invasion as the cause of their position today in world politics, economies, and cultural values, undermining them as a minority group. To this day, Muslims have built their own cultural and religious barriers which define their values as a religion away from other cultures interference

Conclusion

In conclusion, most of the Muslims perspectives on the crusade regard Christians as barbarians who are cruel and unclean. The Islamic chronological accounts emphasize the negative aspects of the crusade more than the positive side, such as the sharing of ideas and co-habiting in harmony between Christians and Muslims. Historians should consider such biases before recording the accounts and using them to define a given culture since all accounts have two sides of the story. Finally, the crusade has a significant influence on the Muslim culture today, which explains the exclusivity and conservative nature of the Islamic civilization to date.

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Islamic Perceptions of the Crusade

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