MUSLIM RESPONSES TO THE CRUSADES - An Analysis of the Muslim Ideological, Military, and Diplomatic Responses to the Medieval Christian Crusades -

Abstract

Muslim responses to the Crusades have been a focus of modernscholarship in both Crusades studies and medieval Islamic historyover the last decade or so. This important aspect of the Crusadeshad been largely, if not entirely, ignored by Western scholars owingto their particular Western academic environment. One of thecommon misconceptions about the Muslim understanding of andresponse to the Crusaders is the view that the Muslims knew little, ifanything, about them and were confused about the differencebetween the Byzantines and the Franks (Crusaders). Consequently,it took the Muslims approximately a half century to organize aunified Muslim front to fight against the Crusaders. Despite thisview, Muslim sources reveal that Muslim intellectuals and religiousfigures closely observed the Crusaders' actions and motives, andthey did, in various ways, respond to this hitherto unimagined floodof people from the West. This paper attempts to highlight andexplore the Muslim ideological, religious, military, and diplomaticresponses to the Crusaders