Stereotypes During The Crusades

Before the crusaders state fell down, Muslims and Christians used to live side by side. Some managed to maintain a friendly relationship, but for the most part, many of them struggled to get along. Their embedded hostility towards one another was too deep and the tension was only further amplified by the Crusading movement in Western Europe and the anti-Muslim propaganda. The reason why there was a growing antipathy between the two groups was because Muslims and Christians only share the same religious values. However, beyond that point, they share no other similarities, thus making it difficult to coexist peacefully.
Like stated above, Christians are extremely committed to their religious duties and this can be seen through the two crusades
The Muslims had a different standard of cleanliness, therefore they found it disgusting that the Christians did not “cleanse or bathe themselves more than once or twice a year,” (Al-Qazwini Atkar al-bilad, His Soldiers are of Mighty Courage, pg. 10). The Franks considered hair to be superfluous and had a habit of removing it, however the Muslims did not share the same views, thus they saw the stubbles left by shaving as revolting. Through the fact that the Franks were addressed as “animals” in one of the excerpts, it shows that Muslims think very lowly of them due to their appearance. It is within human nature to judge a person based on their outer appearance and since the Franks don’t put in the effort to look presentable, it makes it hard for Muslims to view them in a positive light. More often than not, people tend to stray away from those who have a filthy appearance due to the odor and unsightly view, thus before the Muslims could even get to know the Franks, they are already thrown aback and would not want to put in the effort to do so. People with different level of tolerance for messes tend to not get along and this seems to be the case with Muslims and
In “A Frank Domesticated in Syria Abstain from Eating Pork,” a Muslim was invited over for dinner at a friend’s house, who happened to be a Frank. When the food arrived at the table, the Muslim abstained himself from eating until the Frank assured him that he never eats Frankish dishes and that “pork never enters [his] home,” (A Frank Domesticated in Syria Abstain from Eating Pork, pg. 15). When people are presented with food, their immediate reaction would be to devour it, however, seeing how that’s not the case, it shows that the Muslims have food restrictions that the Franks don’t, such as pork. Muslims chose not to eat pork because the Holy Qur’an forbids it, but since the Franks do, it adds to list of reasons why the two can’t get along. Besides that they also place different values on food. Upon seeing the food, the Muslims was very astonished by the display, describing the table as “excellent” and the food as “extraordinarily clean and delicious” (A Frank Domesticated in Syria Abstain from Eating Pork, pg. 15). Through the Muslim’s reaction, we can infer that he was not used to seeing such a lavish meal. For Muslims, eating was just a necessity, however for the Franks, it was a means of indulgence, seeing how they put so much effort into decorating the food and the table. It comes to show that, although the Franks do not care about the cleanliness of their outer