Propaganda
After the fall of Edessa in 1144, Nur al din was portrayed as a strong leader, many viewed him as a wise successor of Zengi. After the successful capture of Edessa, Nur al din became motivated to win back the holy land from the western enemies. A ‘cult of personality’ was created that many admired. Nur al din, viewed by many as clever was able to use this cult to his advantage and used it as a ‘formidable political weapon’1. This suggest that Nur al din used his new image to spread the idea of ‘Islamic Jerusalem’ 2and encouraged Muslims to fight in the name of Allah. The idea of jihad appealed to many as they accepted the fact that they were fighting on religious grounds. Nuraldin made sure the propaganda was effective by having one simple objective which was ‘a single religion, the Sunni Islam’. 3. Thus his significance can be highlighted because he was able to reach majority of people and send messages effectively through propaganda. The idea of Islamic war or jihad is further emphasised by contemporary sources. The poet of Ibn al-Qaysar urges nur al din to proceed the crusades, he claims the city of Jerusalem needs to be “purified by the shedding of blood” 4. This develops the idea that non believers are unclean and the city can only be pure if their existence is removed. This therefore suggests how the propaganda of the era promoted crusades on religious grounds. Resulting in many supporters and followers.
Character
Nur al din as a ruthless character had a significant impact, as it meant that enemies were crushed and the muslim attack was effective. . Nur al din was viewed by his followers as ‘fighter of jihad’. 5This portrayed him as a warrior fighting in the name of god. However his ruthlessness came as a result of his aim to ‘dispense justice to those who are oppressed in the face of the oppressor’ hence justice being given to Muslims who were oppressed by the Christians. 6The significance